Media Report: Hardliners in Iran Begin to Raise the Discourse on Building Nuclear Bombs

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TEHERAN – Debate over whether Tehran should develop a nuclear bomb is reportedly intensifying among hardline elites in Iran. This was revealed by Reuters on Thursday (26/3/2026), citing several sources in Tehran.

With the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) currently dominating decision-making on war following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two Reuters sources indicated that hardline opinions on Iran’s nuclear approach are on the rise. Tehran has consistently denied Western accusations that the Islamic Republic seeks to build a nuclear bomb, as Khamenei’s fatwa prohibits nuclear weapons in Islam.

To date, Iran’s nuclear doctrine has not changed despite the death of Khamenei, the issuer of the fatwa. However, according to Reuters sources, hardline elements at Iran’s leadership level who desire a doctrinal shift are beginning to speak out boldly.

The nuclear bomb issue, previously taboo, is now being discussed in the media alongside calls for Iran to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). For example, Tasnim News Agency, a media outlet affiliated with the IRGC, published an article on Thursday stating that it is time for Iran to pull out of the NPT while focusing on its domestic nuclear programme.

Hardline politician Mohammad Javad Larijani, the brother of martyr Ali Larijani, was quoted by one media outlet urging Iran to freeze its NPT membership.

“(NPT membership) must be frozen. We must form a committee to discuss whether the NPT is beneficial to us or not. If it proves beneficial, we will rejoin as members. If not, we must withdraw,” said Javad.

Earlier this month, one of Iran’s television stations aired a segment interviewing conservative commentator Nasser Torabi, in which he claimed to represent the Iranian public’s demands. “We must act to create a nuclear bomb. Either we make it or we obtain it.”