Iranian Officials Press Leadership to Consider Nuclear Weapons for Deterrence
Iranian officials and clerics are increasingly pressing leadership to abandon its anti-nuclear doctrine and pursue atomic weapons to restore deterrence following recent military conflicts with the US and Israel.
Iranian clerics and senior officials are increasingly pressuring the state leadership to abandon its long-standing commitment against developing nuclear weapons in order to restore its deterrence capacity. Once viewed as an extreme fringe position, this demand has now moved to the center of public debate. The shift occurs as Tehran pursues diplomatic efforts mediated by Qatar to prevent a renewed war with the United States and Israel, a scenario deemed highly likely following the US mid-term elections.
For decades, Iranian officials supported the fatwa issued by the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which banned the development and use of nuclear weapons. However, this approach failed to prevent two wars waged by Israel and the United States against Iran since June 2025, including the conflict in which Khamenei himself was killed last February. Although it remains unclear whether the discussion has reached the desk of the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's National Security Advisor Mohsen Rezaei confirmed in a state television interview that the leadership is discussing the matter.
Experts assess that the failure of deterrence and statements by US President Donald Trump are bolstering support for obtaining the bomb. During a Republican conference in September, Trump remarked that if Iran possessed nuclear weapons, he would call the Supreme Leader to politely inquire about his health rather than bomb him. Meanwhile, analyst Omid Memarian suggests that raising the issue now serves as a bargaining chip to pressure Washington into reaching an agreement.
Despite the rising tide of hardline rhetoric, prominent reformist figures, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and former President Hassan Rouhani, continue to support the peaceful nuclear doctrine. Former diplomat Kourosh Ahmadi warned in the Shargh newspaper that statements supporting nuclear weapons are dangerous, hinder efforts to prevent war, and increase the likelihood of an preemptive strike during the time it would take to build the bomb.
