khamenei-urged-to-revoke-fatwa-on-nuclear-weapons-acquisition

Senior commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday requested Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to revoke his longstanding fatwa that bans the development, acquisition, and use of nuclear weapons, reports said.

 

The senior commanders of the IRGC have argued that maintaining and possessing nukes is essential for the nation’s survival amid mounting pressures from Western adversaries, including Israel.

 

The development has caused fears in the international community, especially the US, which on several occasions maintained that Iran had already acquired and enriched enough uranium to create 2 to 3 nuclear bombs.

 

Meanwhile, Khamenei’s fatwa, issued in the mid-1990s and publicly announced in 2003, explicitly forbids the production, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons, deeming them contrary to Islamic principles. For more than 2 decades, this has remained Iran’s official stance on nuclear armament.

 

However, with constant demonisation and threats from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US administration is forcing Iran to change its nuclear doctrine.

 

Also read: Iran calls for emergency OIC meet over Gaza 'colonial conspiracy'

 

This has come following recent Israeli airstrikes, which targeted sites associated with Iran’s missile production and former nuclear research.

 

The IRGC leaders are reportedly expressing their concerns that adhering to the fatwa may leave Iran in a vulnerable position during any potential symmetrical or asymmetrical warfare.

 

They said the acquisition of nuclear weapons would serve as a powerful deterrent against its regional adversaries.

 

Relations between Iran and Western nations have been strained since the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal, following the United States’ withdrawal in 2018.

 

Reports indicate that if Khamenei were to reconsider the fatwa, it could signal a significant shift in Iran’s defence policy, potentially leading to accelerated nuclear development.

 

Such a move would likely exacerbate tensions with Israel and its Western allies. With concerns that this could trigger a nuclear arms race between the rival states in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Iraq.