Iran Ready to Retaliate Proportionately if US Uses Nuclear Bomb
An Iranian member of parliament has stated that Tehran would deliver a proportionate response if the United States used nuclear weapons against Iran. The statement was made in response to media reports regarding the possibility of such an attack.
Fada Hossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, made the remarks in an interview with the Iranian news agency Khabar Online.
‘I do not rule out the possibility of reckless action by (US President Donald) Trump, but I do not think he would dare to do it, because such an action could plunge the world into a dangerous war,’ he said when asked about the possibility of the US attacking Iran with a nuclear bomb.
‘If such an action is taken, the Islamic Republic of Iran will also retaliate, and its reaction will be commensurate with the type of weapon used against Iran,’ he added.
When pressed on whether this meant Iran would use nuclear weapons if the US attacked Iran with nuclear weapons, Maleki replied: ‘Whatever the US uses, Iran will respond to it.’
Maleki did not explicitly state that Iran possesses nuclear weapons.
The MP also warned Washington against further military action, saying Iran has ‘various options’ and any US move could trigger a response ‘at the same level or even higher’.
‘Many of Iran’s weapons and military capabilities have not been revealed to the public,’ Maleki said, arguing that Tehran has shifted from a defensive posture towards what he called ‘active and offensive deterrence’.
Turning to the stalled Tehran-Washington negotiations, Maleki accused Trump of failing to honour commitments under the memorandum of understanding between the two sides.
He said Iran would not return to the negotiating table unless Washington complies with previous commitments, adding that otherwise various issues—including the Strait of Hormuz—would remain unresolved.
Maleki noted that Iran’s talks with Oman represent a separate bilateral channel, adding that Tehran rejects US involvement in those discussions.
Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June with Pakistani mediation, aimed at ending the war between them and paving the way for negotiations towards a final agreement.
Since then, negotiations have stalled amid disputes over the implementation of the memorandum, including issues relating to the Strait of Hormuz. The latest tensions follow months of hostilities since the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on 28 February, prompting Tehran to retaliate against US and Israeli targets and assets across the region.