Iran is capable of developing nuclear weapons and will change its doctrine to allow their production if it faces a “present threat,” a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader said.
Kamal Kharrazi, the head of the Islamic Republic's strategic foreign relations council, also said the country was “ready for war” amid speculation it was planning to attack Israel again.
“We are ready for war, but we don't want to escalate because we have now shown that we are able to stop doing that,” he told Lebanon-based broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.
“The issue is on Israel's shoulders if they really want to continue, we will answer them. Our missile power is clear to everyone and everyone believes in it, and we have demonstrated that during our operations. “
Intelligence officials have suggested that Iran could strike within days, possibly through a drone attack launched against one of its proxies in Iraq.
It is not clear whether Iran plans to attack Israel before or after next week's US election, but Mr Kharrazi said Israel is to blame for increasing instability in the region.
Tehran was left stunned after Israel used dozens of aircraft, including F35 stealth jets, fuel tankers and drones, in a retaliatory attack early last Saturday.
Israel was responding after the Islamic Republic launched 180 missiles at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in early October.
Israel's military avoided directly targeting Iran's nuclear program in last weekend's strikes, although it did attack a site linked to nuclear research.
Iran currently does not have a nuclear weapon and so far there has been no indication that Tehran has decided to use this weapon.
However, experts believe it can produce enough weapons-grade enriched uranium in a week.
Building this weapon would take months and mounting it on a warhead capable of reaching Israel or any other enemy would take even longer.
Kharrazi said that although Iran has the technological ability to produce nuclear weapons, it is currently held back by religious law, which was issued in the early 2000s by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He added that this could change if the country's existence is at stake.
“If Iran is faced with an existing threat, it will change its nuclear doctrine. Now we have the necessary ability to produce nuclear weapons, and the only obstacle is the fatwa of the Leader, which has prohibited the production of nukes,” said Kharrazi.
He also said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will increase cooperation with Russia, which has been supplying drones and missiles.
“Russia and China want to create a new international order to be free from Western hegemony and authority,” he said.
Kharrazi added that it would extend the range of its missiles beyond its self-imposed limit of 1,250 miles if Europe disregarded “Iran's territorial integrity”.
Although Israel has not attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, last weekend's strikes made it easy to do so, as they severely damaged the country's air defenses.
Four of Iran's S-300 air defense systems have been removed, meaning it is easier for Israeli warplanes to safely enter Iran's airspace.
Chris Bigers, an image specialist who worked for America's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, told the Economist that satellite images show evidence of a destroyed radar southwest of Tehran and another system on the western border.
During last week's strike only F-35 jets entered Iran's airspace while F-15 and F-16 jets shot down missiles launched from neighboring Iraq.
To hit buried nuclear sites, ground-launched missiles would need to be fired close to the target, but the destruction of air defense systems and radars would make this easier.
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