Iran Official Denies Nuclear Doctrine Shift Amid Domestic Pressure

OPA WIRE, Oct 31 (OPA) — Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, confirmed in a televised interview that Tehran has not formally changed its nuclear policy. While acknowledging internal debates regarding the nation's defensive posture in the event of further conflict, Rezaei emphasized that no official government decision has been reached to abandon the existing doctrine.

Rezaei noted that public sentiment is shifting, driven by frustration over the vulnerability of Iranian nuclear sites to foreign military action. He stated, "The Iranian nation has demands. They see the enemy has struck all our nuclear centers, and they ask why we continue this path despite our cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency." During the broadcast, Rezaei also criticized IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, labeling him a partisan actor.

The debate over Iran's nuclear stance gained momentum following a Friday sermon by Tehran’s interim Friday prayer leader, Mohammad-Javad Haj-Ali-Akbari, who publicly called for a review of the country's nuclear doctrine. This rhetoric marks a departure from the long-standing official position that Iran’s nuclear program is strictly peaceful, a policy historically anchored by a religious fatwa issued by the late Supreme Leader prohibiting the development of atomic weapons.

Western powers remain concerned about Iran's high-level uranium enrichment, which has accelerated since the 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. While previous officials had touted Iran's technical capability to produce nuclear weapons, they consistently maintained that the state had no intention to do so. The current leadership, following the succession of Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to provide a definitive policy shift on the matter.