Iran raised the stakes in its proxy war with Israel on Tuesday after warning that it may pursue nuclear weapons if its existence is threatened.

“We have no decision to build a nuclear bomb, but should Iran’s existence be threatened, there will be no choice but to change our military doctrine,” Iranian Security Advisor Kamal Kharrazi told Iran’s Student News Network. “In the case of an attack on our nuclear facilities by the Zionist regime, our deterrence will change.”

Iran’s nuclear program has been a subject of concern for decades, despite Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s long-standing religious edict, which bans the development of nuclear weapons as “haram,” or forbidden in Islam.

Under the “Atoms for Peace” initiative launched by the United States in the 1950s, Iran developed an extensive nuclear infrastructure, with plans for numerous nuclear power facilities. However, following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the regime shifted much of its nuclear activities into more secretive operations.

However, the revelation of covert nuclear activities in the late 1990s and early 2000s heightened global concerns, fueling suspicions that Iran’s ostensibly civilian nuclear program might be a cover for developing nuclear weapons capabilities.

By early 2024, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran had achieved the capability to enrich uranium up to 60%, nearing the 90% enrichment level necessary for weapon-grade uranium. If Iran were to further enrich its existing nuclear material, it would be sufficient to produce two nuclear weapons.