Ahmad Naderi: Mojtaba Khamenei's nuclear fatwa will be different

Ahmad Naderi, a member of the Islamic Republic's parliament, said on Sunday, 18 October 2026, that, going by his reading of the conduct of Mojtaba Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's leader, his fatwa on nuclear weapons will differ from that of his father, Ali Khamenei. The remarks are the latest sign that the debate inside the Islamic Republic over dropping the claim of a ban on nuclear weapons has grown louder.

Naderi, who by his own account has defended acquiring an atomic bomb for more than a decade, added that calls for "nuclear deterrence" have increased among Friday prayer leaders and representatives of the Islamic Republic's leader.

A fatwa that was never published

For years, Islamic Republic officials have cited to the world a fatwa by Ali Khamenei that supposedly declared building nuclear weapons forbidden. The official text of this fatwa has never been published in full, and international observers have repeatedly said that a fatwa can be changed at any time and is no guarantee that the nuclear programme will remain peaceful. In November 2024, Naderi himself also called for an atomic bomb test, and earlier 70 members of parliament had written a letter calling for the fatwa to be changed so that a bomb could be built and kept for deterrence.

Simultaneous threats from Islamic Republic officials

Naderi's remarks came at the same time as threats from other Islamic Republic officials. Mehrdad Akhlaghi, the new defence minister, threatened US forces, and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, spoke of an "even more devastating" operational plan for any new attack. The Tehran newspaper Kayhan, one of the state-run media outlets, also called for an attack on Israel's nuclear facilities if the United States targets the Kuh-e Kolang complex near Natanz.

On the other side, US Vice President JD Vance has said Washington will not consider the conflict over without a firm commitment that the Islamic Republic will not rebuild its nuclear programme. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also warned that the Islamic Republic wants nuclear warheads for intercontinental missiles.

A parliament member's open talk of changing the fatwa further undermines the Islamic Republic's years-long claim that its nuclear programme is peaceful.

A member of the Islamic Republic's parliament has said the fatwa banning nuclear weapons could change under Mojtaba Khamenei.