Iran’s nuclear Catch-22: Enrichment, missiles, and the concession game - analysis

Iran is saying it has a right to develop all the components to build a bomb, and if the US tries to stop it, then Iran will build a bomb. By SETH J. FRANTZMAN APRIL 1, 2025 15:33 Updated: APRIL 1, 2025 20:05 As the US positions aircraft in the Indian Ocean that could strike Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran is warning that if Washington acts then Iran will develop a nuclear weapon.In essence, the Islamic Republic is saying that it has a right to develop all the components to build a bomb, and that if the US tries to stop it through action, then it will build a bomb because America did something to stop it building a bomb. This kind of Catch-22 is where Iran thrives in its use of the nuclear threat to get concessions and create chaos.Ali Larijani, who serves as a key aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, made this Catch-22 warning on Monday. “If the US or Israel bomb Iran under the nuclear pretext, Iran will be compelled to move toward producing an atomic bomb,” Ali Larijani said. He...