Iranupdated 16m ago2 min read
Iran Assembly of Experts Calls for Defense Doctrine Review and Possible NPT Withdrawal
“the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has removed the religious authority most closely associated with Iran's prohibition on nuclear arms.”
“Iran still possesses drones, ballistic missiles and regional proxies, allowing Tehran to threaten additional attacks despite ongoing U.S. economic pressure.”
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Iran's Assembly of Experts considers defense doctrine revision and possible NPT withdrawal. Debate includes moves toward weaponization as a deterrent despite official stance against nuclear weapons.
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Doctrine shifts after Khamenei
Iran’s nuclear debate has entered a phase in which the country’s official rejection of nuclear weapons faces growing challenges, and the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has removed the religious authority most closely associated with Iran’s prohibition on nuclear arms. Iran’s Assembly of Experts called for a review of the country’s defense doctrine and for consideration of withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, framing withdrawal as an “unavoidable necessity” and a “national demand.” Alireza Najmi said, in a KhabarOnline interview, that in a situation where U.S. threats against Iran continue, discussion of Iran’s nuclear doctrine has once again become a subject worthy of reflection.
Mostafa Najafi, advisor to Mohsen Rezaei and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, raised seven preconditions for moving toward building a nuclear weapon, including having technical and scientific capability and political will to build a bomb. The Assembly of Experts also called on the Foreign Ministry to communicate Tehran’s position to neighboring countries and support what it described as the path of resistance.
Parliamentary voices diverge
Kamran Ghazanfari told Euronews that building nuclear weapons matters far more to Iran than countering what he described as US and Israeli propaganda against the Islamic Republic. Ghazanfari argued that repeated threats involving nuclear weapons cannot be treated with indifference because such a threat would target the entire Iranian population and the country’s existence. Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh offered a contrasting view to Euronews, saying that even several nuclear warheads would not give Iran nuclear deterrence and describing it as unlikely that nuclear deterrence forms part of the country’s strategy.
Falahatpisheh said he did not know whether the country possesses an atomic bomb, but that as far as he was aware Iran’s nuclear programme was peaceful and its possible military dimensions were closed under the JCPOA. Euronews reporting also said Ghazanfari inferred that a change of doctrine has in practice already occurred, and that parliament is pursuing NPT withdrawal while obstruction efforts have prevented it from reaching the open floor.
NPT status and external pressure
Iran’s Assembly of Experts called for examining withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and its statement said examining withdrawal, reviewing the country’s defence doctrine, and creating the necessary deterrence have become an unavoidable necessity and a public and national demand.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry stressed that the Islamic Republic remains committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, even as the debate inside Iran’s power circles intensifies.
Fox News coverage said retired Brig. Gen. John Teichert warned that Iran retains military capabilities despite U.S. military operations, and Teichert said Iran still possesses drones, ballistic missiles and regional proxies.
Fox News also reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency cannot verify nuclear material at an Iranian enrichment site in Isfahan because Tehran has not allowed inspectors into the facility or provided enough information to establish its exact location and status.
The same Fox News coverage said the uncertainty dates back to June 2025, when Iran declared the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant just one day before Israeli and American strikes began.