Dozens of Iranian lawmakers urge nuclear weapons production

More than 70 members of Iran’s Shura Council have called on the country’s leadership to produce and possess nuclear weapons, according to a letter sent Monday to the Supreme National Security Council and the heads of Iran’s three branches of government. The letter was reported by Fars News Agency.

The lawmakers argued that the 2010 fatwa issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—which forbids the use of nuclear weapons—was issued under different circumstances. They said manufacturing and stockpiling nuclear weapons for deterrence purposes is distinct from using them, urging a revision of Iran’s defence doctrine.

The letter claimed that “Israel and the colonialist states” no longer respect international law, requiring Iran to strengthen its deterrence capabilities.

Calls to revisit Khamenei’s fatwa have grown since the April 2024 Israeli strike on Iran’s consular offices in Damascus. Pressure further intensified after Israel assassinated senior Iranian figures, including scientists, and attacked nuclear facilities during its 12-day war with Iran that began on June 13. Tehran retaliated by striking Israeli military bases with ballistic missiles and drones.

Israel and the United States accuse Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Iran has consistently denied, insisting its nuclear program is aimed at peaceful purposes such as electricity generation.