Ali Khamenei's fatwa against nuclear weapons

Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran
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A fatwa by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, against the acquisition, development and use of nuclear weapons[1] dates back to the mid-1990s.[2] The first public announcement is reported to have occurred in October 2003, followed by an official statement at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna in August 2005.

Some analysts have questioned either the existence, applicability and/or constancy of the fatwa.[3][4] According to Mehdi Khalaji, Khamenei may alter his fatwa under critical circumstances, as did his predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini, on some civil and political issues.[4] According to Gareth Porter writing in Foreign Policy, Iran's aversion to nuclear and chemical weapons is sincere because of the "historical episode during its eight-year war with Iraq", and Iran never sought revenge for Iraqi chemical attacks against Iran, which killed 20,000 Iranians and severely injured 100,000 more.[2] According to Khalaji, the fatwa is also considered to be consistent with Islamic tradition.[4]

The fatwa is included on Khamenei's official website,[5] and it was referred to in remarks by both US President Barack Obama[3][6][7] and Khamenei himself.[8]

In 2021, acknowledging the fatwa, Iran's Minister of Intelligence said that the country may nevertheless change their stance if "pushed in that direction" like a "cornered cat".[9][10]

At a meeting with the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry members on May 20, 2023, Ali Khamenei said that entering the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement centered on restricting Iran's nuclear program, was taqiyah.[11][12]

  1. ^ L Afrasiabi, Kaveh (17 March 2006). "An Iran option the US prefers to ignore". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 16 March 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference forein policy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Kessler, Glenn (November 27, 2013). "Fact Checker Did Iran's supreme leader issue a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Khalaji was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ حرمت سلاح کشتار جمعی [Hormah [being forbidden] of weapons of mass destruction]. Fatwas Section. Official Website of Ayatollah Khamenei. Archived from the original on 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference USA today was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference WH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Khamenei: Opposition to US persists after nuclear deal". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Iran's spy chief says Tehran could seek nuclear arms if 'cornered' by West". Reuters. 9 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Iran may pursue nuclear weapon, intel minister warns West". Associated Press. 21 April 2021.
  11. ^ "علی خامنه‌ای برجام را «تقیه» خواند: «نرمش قهرمانانه در داخل و خارج کشور بد فهمیده شد»" [Iran International]. ایران اینترنشنال (in Persian). 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  12. ^ خامنه‌ای: انعطاف جاهایی لازم است اما به معنی عقب‌نشینی نیست [Khamenei: Flexibility is necessary in some places, but it does not mean retreat]. BBC News Farsi (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-06-01.