A media outlet affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared that the country has “no choice” but to acquire a nuclear weapon, escalating concerns about the future of the recently signed peace agreement between Tehran and Washington.

The article, published Sunday by the Iranian state-linked Fars news agency under the headline “No choice but to build the atomic bomb,” argues that Iran can only negotiate effectively with its adversaries if it possesses nuclear deterrence.

“To achieve the peace and calm that Iran needs, it must absolutely reach nuclear deterrence to ensure that the rest of the issues can be resolved through negotiation,” thunders the piece, before drawing a comparison between Iran’s current standoff with the United States and China’s relationship with Washington during the 1970s.

“America threatened China with nuclear attack twice — similar to Trump’s recent nuclear threats against Iran — but when did Kissinger secretly meet with the Chinese and then negotiate? It was when China built the atomic bomb,” the article continues.

The commentary further argues that nuclear weapons would provide strategic balance rather than encourage war. “Nuclear deterrence means that you can reach a balance of power against America and Israel, who possess atomic bombs — not so that war does not happen, but so that the scope of conflict remains controllable,” it goes on.

The article stands in sharp contrast to the commitments Iran made under the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the United States earlier this month. As part of the agreement, Tehran pledged not to pursue a nuclear weapon and agreed to restore access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors after international oversight had been suspended last year.

The United States has also demanded that Iran halt all uranium enrichment activities for the next 20 years.

The renewed rhetoric comes as the head of the IAEA continues pressing Tehran to allow inspectors unrestricted access to its nuclear facilities so the agency can verify compliance with the agreement.

“The government of Iran has affirmed quite clearly that [developing nuclear weapons] is not their intention, but of course, intentions are not enough,” IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told reporters on Friday.

“In order to have certainty, we need to have a very strong system of verification as soon as practicable,” he added.

Although Iran agreed to permit IAEA inspectors to return in September, it has yet to authorize inspections of the nuclear facilities targeted by President Trump during the 2025 U.S. airstrikes.

Questions also remain about the whereabouts of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, which has not yet been fully accounted for.

Iranian officials have echoed the broader message that the country must preserve its military capabilities, offering additional support for the themes advanced by the state-linked publication.

“Iran’s military capabilities ensure the Iranian people’s inherent right to legitimate self-defence in the face of aggression and crimes, while at the same time guaranteeing peace and stability in the region,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement on X on Friday, later attacking the country’s Gulf neighbors.

Baghaei also accused Gulf states of “engaging in aggression against their Muslim neighbor,” and “remaining silent regarding the Israeli nuclear arsenal,” in his statement.

{Matzav.com}