TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amid escalating tensions with Israel, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on Monday, June 16, 2025, that Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. However, he affirmed the country’s commitment to defending its rights to nuclear energy and research.
Pezeshkian referenced a religious decree from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which explicitly prohibits the use of weapons of mass destruction. His remarks came in response to Israel’s claim that it had destroyed Iranian nuclear weapons development sites in a series of attacks last Friday.
The statement comes as the conflict between Israel and Iran enters its fourth day, following an Israeli airstrike that marked the start of open hostilities.
Israel has targeted Iran’s primary nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, escalating a military campaign that has resulted in numerous fatalities and infrastructure damage, including a minor earthquake.
A loud explosion was reported near the Fordow nuclear facility on Monday, causing ground tremors and a 2.5-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale.
According to two sources on Sunday, at least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed since Friday, including one who died in a car bombing.
So far, 224 Iranians have been reported dead, and over 1,200 have been injured since the conflict began. In Israel, 17 people have died and 390 have been injured.
“After 65 hours of aggression by the Zionist regime, 1,277 people have been injured. 224 women, men and children have been martyred,” wrote Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour on X (formerly Twitter), adding that 90 percent of the casualties were civilians.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard also confirmed that its head of intelligence, Mohammad Kazemi, along with two other senior generals of the Islamic Republic, were killed in the Israeli strikes. Several other high-ranking officials and nuclear scientists were also among the casualties.
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