Iranupdated 1h ago3 min read
Mohsen Rezaei Says Iran Debates Nuclear Weapons Ban If Hostilities Resume
“no new decision had been officially made by the country’s leadership.”
“Iran is debating whether to maintain its longstanding ban on nuclear weapons”
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Iran debating whether to maintain ban on nuclear weapons if hostilities resume; no decision made. Rezaei said no official decision yet on changing nuclear doctrine; US tone shifts amid negotiations.
Save coverage image
Rezaei weighs nuclear ban
Iran’s Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei said Iran is debating whether to maintain its longstanding ban on nuclear weapons if hostilities resume, while adding that no decision on any changes has been taken. Rezaei told state TV that he had not yet responded to a letter from US Vice President JD Vance, and he said the nuclear issue can only be discussed once the United States meets Iran’s demands. Rezaei also stated that the Strait of Hormuz will “remain closed” until all of Iran’s demands are met, and he emphasized that the conflict with the US must end “permanently.”
Rezaei described the Americans’ tone as “completely changed, which is a good sign as it shows the Iranian people's victory,” while he declined to comment further on the letter’s contents. Rezaei said Iran’s nuclear issue is being discussed in the context of diplomacy through Qatar, with Iranian officials saying earlier on Saturday that they had no plans to meet US officials.
Demands, diplomacy, and tone
Rezaei told state media that he read the letter from JD Vance but had not yet responded, and he said their tone had “completely changed,” calling it “a good sign” that showed Iran had “consolidated its victory.” Rezaei said Iran would not abandon the rights of the Iranian people, and he stated that the nuclear issue can only be discussed once the United States meets Iran’s demands. The Jerusalem Post quoted Rezaei saying Iran’s nuclear rights under the non-proliferation treaty should be respected if nuclear negotiations take place in later stages of negotiations.
WANA reported that Rezaei said Iran was waiting to see a change in Washington’s behavior, and it said compliance with Iran’s seven conditions could serve as an indication of such a change. WANA also reported that Rezaei said ambiguities in the Islamabad understanding about issues such as the management of the Strait of Hormuz and the collection of fees had been addressed in Iran’s seven conditions.
Debate over doctrine and deterrence
Imna News Agency framed Iran’s nuclear doctrine as reaching a “new turning point,” linking the debate to national security, deterrence, and power balance rather than only international obligations, nuclear negotiations, enrichment levels, and IAEA monitoring. Imna News Agency quoted Sina Adadi, director of the Middle East program at Georgetown University, arguing that military strikes have damaged parts of the enrichment infrastructure but have not destroyed Iran’s scientific knowledge, industrial capacity, or political will. Imna News Agency said Adadi presented three paths before Iran’s nuclear policy, including “moving toward weapons construction” and a third option that would preserve technical capability and the possibility of moving toward weaponization without crossing the line into weapon production.
Imna News Agency also described Mahmoud Nabavian speaking about seeking authorization to build an atomic bomb in a gathering in Qom, and it said Ayatollah Alam al-Hoda focused on deterrence from a juristic perspective. خبرآنلاین said there is “no official documentary proving the story that Iran will build a nuclear bomb,” and it argued that the distance between Iran’s official positions and public political statements has widened as some voices call for leaving the NPT while others emphasize prohibition and supervisory mechanisms.