Nuclear fission in Iran.
Remarks by a former adviser to Iran's supreme leader Javad Larijani last week about Tehran's ability to develop nuclear weapons reignited the dispute amid ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States. On state television, Larijani said that creating a nuclear bomb for Iran is a "childish prank" and that Tehran is ahead of Pakistan, India and Israel in this field. He also emphasized that the Islamic Republic will not ask US President Donald Trump for permission to create nuclear weapons.
These statements were made at a time when Iran's political elite was discussing a possible change in its nuclear doctrine. Although such statements come from representatives of the country's top leadership, Tehran has not yet made an official decision to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
The discussion is not limited to Larijani's words. In recent days there have been many speeches claiming that Iran should develop nuclear weapons. Deputies of parliament, imams of big cities in Friday sermons and conservative media are calling for concrete steps to change the country's "nuclear doctrine".
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