Iran will build new nuclear sites if Israel strikes, president warns

"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.

By REUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF FEBRUARY 13, 2025 14:02 Updated: FEBRUARY 13, 2025 15:16

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the 46th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran. February 10, 2025. (photo credit: IRAN'S PRESIDENTIAL WEBSITE/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY)/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that Tehran's enemies may be able to strike the country's nuclear centers but cannot deprive it of its ability to build new ones.

"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... You can hit the buildings and the places, but you cannot hit those who build them," Pezeshkian said, according to state media.

He made his comments after the Washington Post reported that US intelligence believes Israel is likely to launch a preemptive attack on Iran's nuclear program by mid-year.

A satellite image shows Khojir rocket motor casting facility, in an aftermath what an American researcher said was an Israeli airstrike hitting a building that was part of Iran's defunct nuclear weapons development program, near Teheran, Iran October 26, 2024. (credit: Planet Labs Inc/Handout via REUTERS)

Israel may be considering strikes

The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post reported Wednesday night that an American intelligence assessment determined that Israel may be considering strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities this year,

The Washington Post claimed Israel plans to attempt a strike on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities in the first six months of 2025.