Iranupdated 30m ago2 min read
Masoudi Says United States And Israel Could Use Tactical Nuclear Weapons Against Iran
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Masoudi says the United States could very likely use nuclear weapons against Iran. Masoudi notes Iran may move toward nuclear deterrence in response.
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“developing nuclear weapons, viewing them as a means of deterring possible attacks by the United States and Israel.”
“The Strait of Hormuz and attacks on the Gulf have now become central points of contention.”
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Nuclear options debated
HaidarAli Masoudi, an American affairs expert and professor of political science at Shahid Beheshti University, said in an interview with Khabar online that the United States and Israel could expand attacks on Iran's infrastructure and also consider using tactical nuclear weapons to create widespread intimidation. Masoudi added that the American and Israeli side could also expand the scope of assassination of officials and commanders, and he said Iran, in response, would have options available.
Masoudi said Iran could respond with broad attacks on energy infrastructure in Israel and on countries hosting American military bases, and he said wide missile and drone attacks on other targets, including political and diplomatic sites belonging to the United States in the region, were among Iran's possible options. Masoudi said both sides would strive to step by step rise from the ladder of tension and crisis escalation, “hoping that the other side, fearing the next move, will halt the escalation.”
Elections and escalation
Heidar-Ali Mas’udi told KhabarOnline that the US midterm elections on November 2 and the Israeli parliamentary elections on November 25, with the dates corresponding to 12 Aban and 5 Aban in the Persian calendar, leave the future of the Iran war surrounded by serious ambiguities. Mas’udi said that if negotiations fail and hostilities resume, the likelihood of a gradual intensification of war, its geographic spread, and increased pressure on the region’s vital infrastructure will rise.
Mas’udi said the United States seeks to restore its status as the incontestable military power in the international arena and to exercise colonial control over the strategic resources of other countries. Mas’udi said the dominant approach at the national level is strategic containment, a policy that uses diplomatic and economic tools and, at the same time, credible military threats.
Deterrence, cables, and risk
A Tehran Friday Imam, Hojjat al-Islam Haj Aliakbari, wrote in a message that “Today we have an Iran that can stand against arrogance and say, ‘No.’” and he said, “The people’s expectation is that we reconsider the nuclear doctrine.” Al Jazeera reported that Iran says seven oil tankers have caught fire or sustained damage in and around the Strait of Hormuz as the IRGC warned that renewed US attacks could trigger a wider response.
Arab News reported that President Donald Trump said, “We could end it very quickly,” and he questioned whether Washington should “just want to let it wither?” Arab News also reported that Iran’s deputy head of political affairs for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Yadollah Javani, said Iran could target seven major Internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz if Iranian infrastructure came under attack.