Destroy 100 nuclear sites and Iranians will build 1,000 more, president says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that if Tehran's enemies strike the country's nuclear facilities, the country's youth will be ready to simply rebuild, after reports about possible Israeli attack on the country’s nuclear program this year.

"They threaten us that they will hit nuclear facilities... If you (the enemy) strike a hundred of those we will build a thousand other ones," Pezeshkian said during a speech in Bushehr, home to one of Iran’s biggest nuclear plants.

"You can hit the buildings and places but you cannot hit those who build it... you cannot erase the minds of our scientists.”

US President Donald Trump raised on Monday the possibility of Israel hitting Iran in an interview with Fox News saying he would prefer to make a deal with Iran to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"Everyone thinks Israel, with our help or our approval, will go in and bomb the hell out of them. I would prefer that not to happen," Trump said.

On Thursday, the commander of Iran's conventional air force Hamid Vahedi said: "We tell all countries, friends and foes alike, that our country's doctrine is defensive, but we will respond with force against any enemy attack."

Tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and Israel punctuated last year's Gaza conflict as the years long shadow war between the two archenemies came out in the open.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Israel is considering attacks on Iran's nuclear sites and views its Mideast adversary as vulnerable, citing US intelligence agencies’ assessments in the waning days of the Joe Biden administration.

In January, Iran's atomic energy chief said that thousands of workers are currently involved in constructing the second and third units of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

"Currently, 5,000 people are involved in the construction of the two new units," Mohammad Eslami said during a visit to the site, adding, "Their efforts are ensuring the project progresses with good discipline and speed."