MANILA /Philippines/, July 22. /TASS/. The US-Israeli aggression against Iran may prompt some political circles in the Islamic Republic to advocate a military nuclear program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after attending events organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Philippines.

"When Israel and the United States launched their aggression against Iran, the International Atomic Energy Agency had raised no concerns about the state of the country’s peaceful nuclear program. The agency repeatedly confirmed that there were no signs of it being diverted to military purposes," the foreign minister said. "Now that aggression has been unleashed against Iran, I have no doubt that in some political circles, they will argue: ‘We abandoned the military component of our nuclear program, and then we were attacked. They want to destroy us and change our regime,’ and so on."

Lavrov said such discussions harken back to what happened in Iraq and Libya, which abandoned programs to acquire weapons of mass destruction and subsequently faced military intervention. "The effect is therefore the opposite of what those who attacked Iran probably expected," he said.

"I believe many countries will now look at Iran’s example, as well as earlier cases, and the belief that only nuclear weapons can, to the extent possible, guarantee freedom and independence will become increasingly widespread," Lavrov said. "I say this with great regret, because it is one of the consequences of the aggressive policies pursued by the United States and some of its allies in their effort to preserve global dominance."

Lavrov also noted reports that the United States had "allowed" Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium. "No permission is required, because uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes is the right of every state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons," he recalled.