> Ali Motahari, who served as Parliament deputy speaker from 2016 to 2019, made the statements in 2022

If you've been following what Iranian leaders have been saying for the past 2 decades this shouldn't come as a surprise.

I mean they made a popular comedy around the absurdity of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQxX1M2fSOs

Some countries have nukes so they can bully other countries. And some countries have nukes to keep the bully’s at bay. I don’t think anyone seriously considers Iran a terrorist nation that would use one in a preemptive strike. Now the US and Israel in the other hand…

Like, the Manhattan Project was all about cocktails?

Governments want weapons so as not to be subordinate to others.

Solar and wind power are far more easily deployed, if electrical power were being addressed.

There WAS a treaty in place that was torn up. Unilaterally.

A world of unilateral (or bilateral) attacks is an uncivilized world, and likely to perish.

Even with existing nukes. Instability leads to autocratic rule, which is fine with certain autocrats. Remember the summary of this situation:

Deranged leader who betrays his own people

Joins with another deranged leader who betrays his own people

to attack a country whose deranged leaders betray their own people, joined by

A deranged leader who betrays his own people and another

deranged leader who betrays his own people

It's not looking good.