(Dreamstime)
An Iranian lawmaker said he publicly appealed to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei for permission to build an atomic bomb, as calls grow within Iran’s political establishment to reconsider the country’s opposition to nuclear weapons.
Sayed Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of Iran’s parliament, said he made the request during a gathering in the religious city of Qom, according to the Iranian news outlet Khabarfoori.
“Tonight, in the gathering of the noble people of Qom, I asked for permission to build an atomic bomb from the supreme leader, which was accompanied by the takbir and approval of the people,” Nabavian said, according to a translation of his remarks reported by Khabarfoori.
Takbir refers to the Islamic declaration “Allahu Akbar,” meaning “God is greatest,” often chanted at religious and political gatherings.
Khabarfoori did not report any response from Khamenei, and there was no indication that Iran’s leadership had authorized the development of nuclear weapons.
The remarks come amid a widening debate among Iranian lawmakers and officials over whether Tehran should abandon its longstanding opposition to acquiring an atomic bomb.
Earlier this month, Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Naderi also called for the development of nuclear weapons and suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei might adopt a different position from his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who issued a religious ruling against nuclear weapons.
Other Iranian political figures have argued that the country’s confrontation with the United States and Israel demonstrates the need for a nuclear deterrent. However, some officials have continued to oppose developing a bomb.
The debate has intensified amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict and President Donald Trump’s warnings of possible renewed military strikes.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes. The country remains a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which prohibits non-nuclear-weapon states from acquiring atomic weapons.
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