14/09/2025
A fatwa by 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, Austria, 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, Ruhollah 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][failed verification] and was referred to in remarks by both U.S. president Barack Obama[3][6][7] and Khamenei himself.[8]
In 2021, acknowledging the fatwa, Iranian intelligence minister Esmaeil Khatib said that the country may nevertheless change their stance if "pushed in that direction" like a "cornered cat".[9][10]
At a meeting with Iranian 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 a form of "heroic flexibility".[11][12]
In February 2025 during a meeting between Khamenei and the IRGC, commanders pressured Khamenei to rescind his ban on nuclear weapons.[13]
In March 2025 a Khamenei advisor, Ali Larijani, said Iran would have no choice but to develop nuclear weapons if attacked by the United States or its allies.[14] #فوٹوگرافی ゚ Seerat Al Ahl al-Bayt_ Kamaal Haider Meta