Iran says will rebuild nuclear facilities if attacked

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday said his country would rebuild its nuclear facilities if attacked, following US media reports that Israel was likely to launch a strike on key Iranian nuclear sites.

"They are threatening us that they will attack our Natanz nuclear facility. Come and attack it. It is the brains of our children that built it," Pezeshkian said during a visit to the southern province of Bushehr.

"If you destroy a hundred (nuclear facilities), our children will build a thousand," he said, without directly referring to the US reports.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing US intelligence, that Israel was "likely to attempt a strike on Iran's Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities in the first six months of 2025".

The report referred to "two potential strike options, each involving the United States providing support in the form of aerial refueling as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance".

The Wall Street Journal had earlier carried a similar report.

The reports came as tensions soared after US President Donald Trump reinstated his "maximum pressure" policy over allegations that Iran is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran has consistently denied the allegations.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reacts during a visit to IRGC Navy equipment in Bushehr, Iran, February 13, 2025.Reuters

At the same time, Trump called for striking a deal with Iran.

"I would like a deal done with Iran on non-nuclear. I would prefer that to bombing the hell out of it," Trump told the New York Post on Friday, adding: "If we made the deal, Israel wouldn't bomb them."

Iran and Israel traded direct attacks last year for the first time against the backdrop of soaring regional tensions triggered by the Gaza war.

On October 26, Israel bombed military sites in Iran, killing four servicemen, in response to an October 1 barrage of about 200 missiles from Iran.

Some analysts say Israel inflicted severe damage on Iranian air defenses and missile capacities and could yet launch more wide-scale action against the Islamic republic, while Iran denied any major damage to its facilities.

On April 13, Iran sent drones and missiles in Israel, in retaliation for a deadly April 1 attack on its Damascus consulate, blamed on Israel.