Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi Threatens To Destroy Israel If It Strikes Tehran's Nuclear Program

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday issued threats against Israel during a rare news conference marking his first year in office.

Iran International reported that Raisi noted that Israel did not want Iran to acquire nuclear technology in the first place. According to The Times Of Israel, he said that if Israel decides to carry out its threats to destroy Iran’s nuclear program then it “will see if anything from the Zionist regime will remain or not.”

This comes after Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned Sunday that if an accord is signed, they "won’t be obligated by it. We are not a party to it, and it won’t limit our activities."

On Monday, Raisi also warned that any roadmap to restore Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers should see international inspectors end their investigation of man-made uranium particles that were found at undeclared sites in the nation.

In recent weeks, Iran and the U.S. have traded written responses on the finer points of the roadmap. It would see sanctions lifted against Iran in exchange for it restricting its quickly advancing nuclear program.

Slamming the emerging deal, Lapid said that the negotiators are letting Tehran manipulate the talks.

For years, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has sought for Iran to answer questions about man-made uranium particles that were found at undeclared sites. Iran ran an organized nuclear weapons program until 2003, U.S. intelligence agencies, Western nations and the IAEA have said. But Iran has long denied seeking any nuclear weapons.

Al Jazeera reported that traces of nuclear particles were found at several Iranian nuclear sites several years ago, and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has repeatedly demanded “full cooperation” from Tehran as the only way to close the probe. Iran, which is a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, is required to explain the radioactive traces. The country also needs to provide assurances that they are not being used as part of a nuclear weapons program.

In June, Iran found itself criticized by the IAEA’s Board of Governors over its failure to answer questions about the sites to the inspectors’ satisfaction. The traces were mentioned by Raisi in the news conference. He referred to them as a “safeguard” issue using the IAEA’s language. Raisi said that without settlement of safeguard issues, "speaking about an agreement has no meaning."