On the eve of renewed nuclear negotiations in Muscat, Iranian regime officials escalated their rhetoric with open threats to abandon diplomacy and pursue nuclear weapons, laying bare the regime’s true intentions as international pressure mounts.
In a parliamentary session held today, May 11, MP Mohammad Reza Ahmadi-Sangar denounced negotiations as “futile” and warned against trusting the West. He accused U.S. President Donald Trump of making “insulting” demands—specifically the dismantling of enrichment facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan—and declared, “We will not allow the story of Libya to be repeated in Iran.” The Libya analogy, frequently used by regime officials and insiders, is a thinly veiled justification for nuclear defiance, based on the myth that surrendering weapons leads to regime collapse.
Ahmadi’s outburst was followed by an even more alarming declaration from MP Nader-Gholi Ebrahimi, who floated a direct challenge to the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s so-called fatwa against nuclear weapons. “If the U.S. continues its threats,” he said, “we are prepared to request the Supreme Leader reconsider the position on nuclear arms.” His demand echoed growing calls among regime insiders to end the fiction of a “peaceful” nuclear program and embrace full weaponization.
The #IRGC Telegram post specifically lists the #Iranian regime’s nuclear capabilities, marking them with as follows:
✅Plutonium production capability
✅ Explosive mechanism construction capability
✅Explosion control chamber construction capability
✅Assembly and security… pic.twitter.com/HPSb76J50k— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 5, 2025
This is not the first time Tehran has resorted to nuclear blackmail. In previous months, senior regime officials have repeatedly threatened to weaponize the nuclear program if Western pressure escalates. On March 31, Ali Larijani, a top advisor to Khamenei, stated on state television that a U.S. or Israeli strike would “justify” Iran’s pursuit of nuclear arms. Just days later, Ahmad Naderi, a senior parliamentarian, openly called for Iran to test and announce possession of a nuclear bomb, claiming it would deter American threats, just as it had allegedly secured North Korea.
This recurring pattern is not driven by strength but by weakness. The regime deploys nuclear threats each time international consensus begins to form around a firmer policy. Its aim is simple: to inject fear, stall diplomatic momentum, and coerce the West into concessions. Facing deepening domestic unrest, economic collapse, and international isolation, Tehran clings to its nuclear leverage as its last remaining card.
These remarks come as the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) released new intelligence exposing secret nuclear weapons development sites operated by the IRGC under civilian cover. The NCRI report revealed ongoing work on weaponization and ballistic integration, confirming what Iranian dissidents and many non-proliferation experts have long asserted: Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were never peaceful.