Tehran

Iran has vowed to ‘make use of all its capacities’ to make Israel pay for the killing of senior Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan in Beirut last month. Iranian foreign ministry on Monday (Oct 14) termed the killing “an unlawful act and unforgivable crime”, adding that it will use all means to punish the ‘Zionist regime.’

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Nilforoushan was declared dead following Sep 27 IDF strikes on southern Beirut alongside Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Funeral services for Nilforoushan were held on Monday in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala as well as in Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad.

Nuclear threat

Analysts have feared that in the wake of military setbacks, a weakened Iran may look to harness its nuclear might to tame Israeli aggression.

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Tehran has doubled down on enriching weapons-grade uranium for over three years now, reaching a staggering 60 per cent purity.

Also read: EU sanctions Iran for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran today has enough fissile material to produce about three nuclear bombs within a matter of weeks if it chooses to do so.

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However, the IAEA has so far maintained that Iran had no intentions to develop a bomb. However, that could change as Iranian proxies in the region get weaker and Tehran feels the need to develop a strong deterrence.

Israel to not attack Iran’s nuclear facilities

Meanwhile, US media reported Monday Israel has assured the White House that it will not target Iranian oil or nuclear sites in a retaliatory attack to Iran’s Oct 1 missile attack.

Also read: Iran slams new US oil sanctions, calls them ‘illegal and unjustified’

Instead, the IDF may only strike Iran’s military sites, according to reports. The assurance "was met with relief in Washington," the Washington Post reported. Earlier, US President Joe Biden had warned the Jewish nation against striking Iran’s nuclear facilities to avoid expanding the war in the region.

(With inputs from agencies)