Iran’s former president Hassan Rouhani criticized calls from top government officials for a shift toward pursuing nuclear weapons, saying they give Israel and the United States an excuse to attack.
In a meeting on Monday with his former top officials, Rouhani argued that any such moves would only empower Iran's adversaries.
“Given the sensitive regional and international conditions, we must avoid providing any excuses to our enemies. The remarks made by some individuals these days, suggesting that Iran's nuclear doctrine will change, are exactly what American and Israeli hardliners want to hear to pave the way for war,” the former president said, according to Etemad newspaper in Tehran.
Since May, top Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's adviser, Kamal Kharrazi, have warned that if Iran's nuclear installations are attacked, the Islamic Republic will shift its nuclear doctrine. So far, Tehran has been insisting that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, in spite of having exceeded international limits on uranium enrichment and accelerating its nuclear program.
In October, 39 lawmakers called for changing the nuclear doctrine without mentioning an attack on nuclear facilities, but citing tensions with Israel.
Rouhani said that those advocating change of doctrine are merely helping the US and Israel to justify an attack on Iran.
“They [enemies] aim to convince global public opinion that if military action against Iran is not taken, Iran will be just days away from a nuclear bomb. Unfortunately, uninformed individuals in the media, and even on state television, are making statements that, at this critical juncture, work against us and provide ammunition to our enemies," he said.
Rouhani also highlighted the country’s political and economic difficulties as a serious energy shortage has closed all government offices and schools for the past week. Most industries have stopped work due to long power outages.
