Kamal Harazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said on Friday that Tehran is likely to increase the range of its ballistic missiles and possibly revise its nuclear doctrine amid rising tensions with Israel, reports "Reuters".
Asked by the Lebanon-based pro-Iran broadcaster Al-Mayadeen whether Iran was ready if the conflict widened after the recent strikes, Harazi said Iran was likely to increase the range of its ballistic missiles beyond the self-imposed limit of 2,000 km.
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He said that while Iran has the technical capability to produce nuclear weapons, it is currently prevented from doing so by a fatwa, or religious decree, issued in the early 2000s by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Ayatollah Khamenei, who has the final say on Tehran's nuclear program, banned the development of nuclear weapons in this fatwa.
The Islamic Republic has long denied that it is trying to build nuclear weapons and insists that its nuclear facilities are for peaceful purposes only.
Iranian officials have said that Tehran does not need to increase the range of its ballistic missiles beyond 2,000 km, as they can already reach US forces stationed in the region.
Kharazi said Iran would retaliate against Israel for Israeli airstrikes near Tehran and other areas last week, which followed Iranian missile fire on October 1.