Iran Says Western Policy May Push It to Seek Nuclear Weapons

Iran could eventually be forced to develop a nuclear weapon if the U.S. and other western nations continue to “push it into a corner,” the intelligence minister said in remarks likely to be seized on by the country’s foes.

Mahmoud Alavi reiterated Iran’s longstanding position that its current nuclear program is for peaceful use, citing a decree by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that forbids the development of warheads. But he told state television on Monday that the Islamic Republic may be pushed toward them.