Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of Iran’s Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has said that Iran and the United States do not want to enter a prolonged war, but claimed that the main dispute between the two sides has shifted from the nuclear issue to the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to the Elina network, Ardestani said that, in his view, the current situation requires Iran to move towards building nuclear weapons, citing what he described as the heavy costs and conflicts Iran has experienced in recent years. Responding to a question about the possibility of a global consensus against Iran, he said such a consensus already exists and that the United States and Western countries are currently taking actions against Tehran. The remarks come as tensions between Iran and Washington have increased in recent months over security issues and Iran’s nuclear programme.
