An Iranian lawmaker has
offered a $3 million reward to anyone who assassinates President Trump adding
that the Islamic republic could avoid threats if it had nuclear weapons,
according to a report.
“On behalf of the people of Kerman province,
we will pay a $3 million reward in cash to whoever kills Trump,” Ahmad Hamzeh
told the 290-seat parliament, according to Reuters, which cited the state-run
ISNA news outlet. He did not say if his idea of putting a price on the
president’s head had any official backing from Iran’s clerical rulers.
Tensions have steadily ramped up since Trump pulled
Washington out of Tehran’s nuclear agreement with world powers in 2018 and
reimposed sanctions on the country. The standoff sparked tit-for-tat military
strikes this month. The city of Kerman is the hometown of revered military
commander Qassem Soleimani, whose killing in a drone strike ordered by Trump on
Jan. 3 in Baghdad prompted Iran to launch missiles at US targets in Iraq. “If
we had nuclear weapons today, we would be protected from threats … We should
put the production of long-range missiles capable of carrying unconventional
warheads on our agenda. This is our natural right,” Hamzeh was quoted as
saying. Tehran insists it has never sought nuclear weapons and never will,
saying its nuclear work is for research purposes and to master the process to
generate electricity. The 2015 nuclear accord was designed to increase the time
Iran would need to obtain enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb if it
wanted one from about two or three months.
Under the deal, Iran received sanctions relief in return for
curbing its nuclear activities. But in response to Washington’s withdrawal from
the pact and pressure from its sanctions, Iran has gradually rolled back its
commitments to the deal. Tehran recently announced it was scrapping all limits
on its uranium enrichment work, potentially shortening the so-called “breakout
time” needed to build a nuke. After its latest move to step away from
compliance with the nuclear accord, Britain, France, and Germany triggered a
dispute mechanism in the pact, starting a diplomatic process that could lead to
reimposing UN sanctions.
Source: New York Post