TEHRAN: Iranian hardliners are pressing for a change to Iran’s nuclear doctrine that would allow atomic weapons, but security chief Mohsen Rezaei says no such decision has been made.
Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, spoke on October 31. He said officials were weighing whether to retain the current policy if war resumed.
He linked calls to review the ban to attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites. However, he argued that Tehran had cooperated fully with inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Hardliners have urged Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to overturn his late father Ali Khamenei’s religious prohibition on producing nuclear weapons.
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Lawmaker Ahmad Naderi argued in October that changed circumstances justified reconsidering the decree. On Saturday, Tasnim reported that Mojtaba Khamenei instructed military commanders to respond to threats without geographical limits.
Its account contained no order to manufacture nuclear weapons. Calls have spread to sermons and pro-government gatherings. Tehran Friday prayer leader Mohammad-Javad Haj Ali-Akbari supported reviewing the doctrine.
Cleric Ahmad Alamolhoda went further, describing the possession of nuclear weapons as a religious obligation, according to Khorasan newspaper.
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Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, advocated building a bomb before withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
A commentary from Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim proposed enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels while stopping short of manufacture.
Haj Ali-Akbari claimed unspecified polls showed more than 70% support for reconsidering Iran’s policy. No survey methods or supporting details accompanied the claim.
Reformist politician Mostafa Hashemitaba disputed claims of widespread support and urged a referendum. Nour News, close to the security council, warned against letting political pressure replace expert assessment of nuclear policy.
Reformist Front spokesman Javad Emam cautioned that “the country’s security, economy, national interests and future are at stake.”
