On the brink of a new war, more and more Iranians are in favor of creating a nuclear bomb. Calls for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons are increasing, from Friday sermons to street rallies. According to the New York Times, this demand, once considered a fringe position for hardliners, is now moving to the center of public debate, which could have serious consequences for Iranian politics. "We must be equipped with nuclear weapons to fight the criminal America with force, if it is God's will," said last week Ali Spakhond, the Friday prayer imam in the city of Kumchat in western Iran. Those gathered in the hall, hanging portraits of commanders killed in the war with the USA and Israel, chanted: "Nuclear deterrence is our inalienable right! For decades, Iranian officials have publicly supported Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's fatwa banning the development and use of nuclear weapons, the publication noted. However, according to regional analysts, Khamenei's strategy was to keep Iran's nuclear program in a bad state - without creating a bomb, but without abandoning it entirely, to deter attacks. This strategy failed: Israel and the United States have fought two wars against Iran since June 2025, and Khamenei himself died in February 2026. "He created this 'neither inside nor outside' situation where they paid for a bomb they didn't have," analyst Muhammad Ali Shabani was quoted as saying in Now. "Now there is a feeling that if you don't have this ultimate weapon, you can be at the mercy not only of the United States, but also of Israel at any moment." In addition to the clergy, politicians also joined the calls. The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Razai, confirmed on Saturday that the leadership discussed the nuclear issue: "No new decision has been made yet. Of course, there is now a debate about whether we want to maintain the same doctrine as before the war if war breaks out again."

On the brink of a new war, more and more Iranians are in favor of creating a nuclear bomb. Calls for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons are increasing, from Friday sermons to street rallies. According to the New York Times, this demand, once considered a fringe position for hardliners, is now moving to the center of public debate, which could have serious consequences for Iranian politics. "We must be equipped with nuclear weapons to fight the criminal America with force, if it is God's will," said last week Ali Spakhond, the Friday prayer imam in the city of Kumchat in western Iran. Those gathered in the hall, hanging portraits of commanders killed in the war with the USA and Israel, chanted: "Nuclear deterrence is our inalienable right! For decades, Iranian officials have publicly supported Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's fatwa banning the development and use of nuclear weapons, the publication noted. However, according to regional analysts, Khamenei's strategy was to keep Iran's nuclear program in a bad state - without creating a bomb, but without abandoning it entirely, to deter attacks. This strategy failed: Israel and the United States have fought two wars against Iran since June 2025, and Khamenei himself died in February 2026. "He created this 'neither inside nor outside' situation where they paid for a bomb they didn't have," analyst Muhammad Ali Shabani was quoted as saying in Now. "Now there is a feeling that if you don't have this ultimate weapon, you can be at the mercy not only of the United States, but also of Israel at any moment." In addition to the clergy, politicians also joined the calls. The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Razai, confirmed on Saturday that the leadership discussed the nuclear issue: "No new decision has been made yet. Of course, there is now a debate about whether we want to maintain the same doctrine as before the war if war breaks out again."