Tehran possesses weapons that are “superior” to nuclear bombs, Iranian Brigadier General Ebrahim Rostami has claimed. His statement came in response to calls from Iranian lawmakers to review the country’s non-nuclear military doctrine amid threats by Israel to strike the country.
In an interview with Iranian media on Tuesday, Rostami, who previously served as the secretary of the Development and Equipment Commission of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), supported calls to change the doctrine but said parliamentarians were unaware of “some aspects” because they involve “highly classified and top-secret information.”
The general claimed that Iran has “weapons that are far superior to nuclear weapons,” hinting that this military equipment had already been deployed in the past, recalling an attack on oil tankers in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.
“When Trump wanted to reduce our oil exports, there were a number of tactical operations,” Rostami claimed. “I will not say who carried them out, but five tankers blew up in the highly guarded port of Fujairah. They did not even know where the attack came from. They even filed a complaint with the UN. The UAE accused us, but could not provide evidence. These are some of the examples I can mention.”
Last week, a group of Iranian parliamentarians called on the Supreme National Security Council to review the country’s defense doctrine and remove the ban on developing nuclear weapons. The demand came amid continued threats by Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear and oil facilities.
Tensions between Iran and Israel escalated following the killings of the heads of Hamas and Hezbollah and an IRGC general by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last month. In reprisal for the attacks, Iran conducted a massive missile strike on October 1, claiming to have targeted only military facilities.
Following the attack, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant threatened a “deadly, pinpoint accurate, and surprising” response, while Israeli officials have been advocating for devastating retaliatory strikes on Iranian energy infrastructures, including nuclear facilities.
Tehran has urged the Jewish state to refrain from taking further disproportionate escalatory steps and warned that Iran would be fully prepared to defend itself and retaliate against any attacks.
One Iranian source told RT last week that, if West Jerusalem decides to target Iran’s oil infrastructure, Iran will respond by attacking Israel’s own oil refineries. Attacks on power plants and nuclear facilities would also prompt retaliatory strikes on corresponding Israeli targets, he said.