An Iranian official recently said Tehran has the 'technical' capability to make a nuclear weapon but hasn't decided to

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onJuly 20, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsIran

On Wednesday, Iran reiterated that its nuclear weapon policy hasn’t changed and that it still has a religious edict, known as a fatwa, against developing weapons of mass destruction.

“In regard to the topic of weapons of mass destruction, we have the fatwa,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani. The fatwa issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declares that weapons of mass destruction are forbidden by Islam.

Kanani’s comments came after an advisor to Khamenei, Kamal Kharrazi, said earlier this week that Iran has the “technical” means to develop a nuclear weapon but hasn’t decided to do so.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Kharrazi said, “Iran’s nuclear capacities are great, but, as it has mentioned many times, Iran’s nuclear technology is completely peaceful and under continued monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency.”

Iran has followed the policy against nuclear weapons for decades. The fatwa was originally issued by Iran’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who rejected proposals to develop weapons of mass destruction when facing chemical weapons attacks from Saddam Hussein’s forces during the Iran-Iraq war.

The Iranian comments on nuclear weapons come as talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, are stalled. The Biden administration has taken a hardline on the negotiations and refuses to lift the sanctions Tehran wants to restore the agreement.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/07/20/iran-says-fatwa-against-making-nuclear-weapons-unchanged/