Iran: “We will act without waiting for their actions”

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A senior member of the Iranian military warned on Tuesday that Tehran might lash out at perceived threats, according to The New York Times.

“If we feel our enemies want to endanger Iran’s national interests… we will act without waiting for their actions,” Mohammed Hejazi said to Fars news agency, according to Reuters.

International Atomic Energy Agency officials, who arrived in Tehran Monday for continued nuclear talks, announced that they would not visit Iran’s atomic facilities, despite requesting to do so, The Times reported.

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Iran has come under growing diplomatic and economic pressure from the United States and the European Union as it continues to announce new advances in its nuclear program. Last week, the government announced that it had enriched enough uranium to 20 percent to power a research reactor, inflaming tensions between Iran and Israel, which predicts that Iran is building an atomic weapon that could be used against it.

Concerns about Israel's ability to successfully cripple Iran's nuclear enrichment is in doubt, both in Israel and Washington. The Associated Press writes that Israelis are beginning to cast doubt on the government's "saber-rattling."

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The IAEA head, Herman Nackaerts, said before leaving for Tehran that the delegation would like to look at "the possible military dimensions” of Iran's nuclear program, according to the Times.