By Press Edition
Dhaka, Bangladesh: A fierce new debate has emerged among hardliners in Iran in the wake of joint US-Israeli strikes: Should Tehran now pivot towards building a nuclear bomb? Once a strictly taboo topic, this discussion is now taking place openly across the nation, according to multiple informed sources.
The political landscape in Tehran shifted dramatically following the onset of the US-Israeli attacks on February 28, which resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has gained unprecedented influence within the government. Two senior Iranian officials have indicated that hardline perspectives are currently dominating Tehran’s nuclear policy.
While Western nations have long accused Iran of seeking to rapidly acquire nuclear weapons capabilities, Tehran has consistently denied these claims. Iran has historically maintained that nuclear weapons are forbidden in Islam, citing an unwritten fatwa by the late Supreme Leader, and pointing to its commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Sources suggest that while no official decision has been made to alter the nuclear doctrine or build a bomb, influential government figures are actively demanding a policy shift. Decision-makers increasingly feel that remaining in the NPT or refraining from building a bomb no longer yields any strategic benefit, especially since the recent strikes derailed near-finalized nuclear talks with the US.
The Hardliner Stance Gains Momentum
The idea of withdrawing from the NPT, previously used as a diplomatic threat, is now gaining serious traction in state media. On Thursday, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency published an article arguing that Iran should withdraw from the NPT immediately while preserving its civilian nuclear program.
Mohammad Javad Larijani, a hardline politician and brother of Iran's slain security chief Ali Larijani, echoed this sentiment in a recent state media interview. "The NPT should be suspended. We need to form a committee to assess whether this treaty is of any use to us. If proven effective, we will return; if not, we won't," Larijani stated.
Conservative commentator Nasser Torabi also declared on state television earlier this month: "The demand of the Iranian people is that we must take steps to build a nuclear weapon. Either we build it, or we acquire it."
A Strategic Bluff or Imminent Reality?
Analysts believe that the Islamic Republic never historically intended to build a bomb outright, fearing total international isolation. Instead, the goal was to remain a "nuclear threshold state" capable of rapid weaponization if necessary. IRGC commanders have previously warned that Iran would only pursue a nuclear bomb if the republic's very existence were threatened—a scenario the current war may have triggered.
The status of Khamenei's unwritten anti-nuclear weapons fatwa remains uncertain following his death. Experts believe the fatwa technically remains valid until officially revoked by the new Supreme Leader, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since his father's passing.
Furthermore, following weeks of continuous airstrikes on Iranian nuclear, ballistic, and scientific facilities, the actual timeline for Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon remains highly ambiguous, despite long-standing warnings from Israel that Iran is only months away from such a capability.
