Why Iran’s Nuclear Program is a Threat: In Their Own Words

Israel takes Iran’s threats seriously because Iran’s leaders do not hide their goal: “total annihilation” of Israel. Of course, the Jewish state would not be the only target, just the first.

By Yakir Benzion, World Israel News

Nobody knows for sure exactly who was behind the assassination last week in Iran of nuclear engineer Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, but we do know for sure that for years, Iranian leaders have been brutally honest about their goal: the destruction of Israel.

It is common knowledge that Iran has the world’s fourth-largest oil reserves – 156 billion barrels of petroleum – as well as the world’s second-largest reserves of natural gas.

It’s enough to keep Iran going for more than another century. But despite floating in oil and gas, Iran’s leaders insist they must have “peaceful” nuclear energy. They have spent billions on a top-secret program while driving their country into bankruptcy.

Their real goal is no secret, and it is echoed constantly by their civilian and military leaders.

The many who oversaw the Iranian revolution in 1979 recall that Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini said it first, and it has remained Iran’s mantra ever since: “We must all rise, destroy Israel.” That chilling message is repeated continuously by the Iranian leadership.

Since then, Iranian leaders including current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, continue to declare “death to Israel” and that Israel is “cancer” that must be “wiped off the map.”

Iran’s military chiefs make Iran’s military goal very clear. In a 2004 military parade, for example, that message in English was written on a long-range ballistic missile. A few years ago, they also wrote the same message in Hebrew on another ballistic missile.

One of the top Iranian Armed Forces commanders, Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, was very specific when he told the Iranian media: “The Iranian nation is standing for its cause that is the full annihilation of Israel.” That was a direct quote.

While Israel is striving to make peace with countries in the Middle East, Iran has not changed its tune. There are no calls from Tehran for peace with Israel. There are no attempts at negotiation or compromise.

Iran boasts one of the strongest militaries in the region. The Islamic Republic repeatedly threatens not just Israel, but also the Gulf states, two of which, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, recently signed peace treaties with Israel. Others indicated they are very interested in doing so as well.

General Morteza Ghorbani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IGRC) said: “If Israel commits the smallest mistake against Iran … we will destroy Tel Aviv.”

One of Ghorbani’s top officers, Brig. Gen. Yadollah Javani, was even more specific, saying: “If they attack us, we will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground.” He didn’t mention that by doing so, he was prepared to kill the 4.8 million people who live in those metropolitan areas.

Of course, Israel would just be the canary in the coal mine. The entire world would be in peril if Iran got achieved its nuclear goals. If Israel indeed eliminated Fakhrizadeh, the world should appreciate it.