Iran's security chief warning: possible nuclear weapons

THE IRANIAN SECRETARY OF THE SUPREME STATE SECURITY COUNCIL, MOHSEN REZAI, WARNED THAT IRAN MIGHT RECONSIDER ITS NON-NUCLEAR POSTURE AFTER THE STRIKES IN THE UNITED STATES, A SIGNAL THAT HAD BROUGHT A NEW GEOPOLITICAL RISK PREMIUM TO THE OIL MARKET. REZAI ' S STATEMENTS COME FROM IRAN ' S SECURITY DECISION-MAKING CENTRE, WITH A GREATER INSTITUTIONAL WEIGHT, AND MAY RAISE MARKET CONCERNS ABOUT FUTURE RESTRICTIONS ON INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) VISITS TO TEHRAN OR THE ACCELERATION OF URANIUM ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES. WITH THE ESCALATION OF ECONOMIC PRESSURE IN WASHINGTON, TEHRAN MAY USE NUCLEAR AMBIGUITY AS A BARGAINING CHIP, RATHER THAN SUGGESTING THAT POLICY IS ABOUT TO CHANGE. ANALYSTS BELIEVE THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF IRAN SEEKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS MAKES EARLY NEWS MILD AND THAT REZAI ' S STATEMENT MARKS A DIRECT NUCLEAR SIGNAL AT IRAN ' S SECURITY DECISION-MAKING LEVEL。