How war with US is reshaping nuclear doctrine of post-Khamenei Iran
Iran’s nuclear debate is entering a consequential phase as the country’s official rejection of nuclear weapons faces growing challenges from those advocating weaponization as a means of deterrence.
TEHRAN — The war with the US has exposed the limits of Tehran's deterrence strategy, while the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has removed the religious authority most closely associated with Iran's prohibition on nuclear arms.
The new context is creating room to challenge a doctrine that once served both ideological and diplomatic purposes. The clearest indication of a strategic shift came this week when Iran's Assembly of Experts called for a review of the country's defense doctrine and consideration of withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The powerful clerical body, constitutionally mandated with the appointment and supervision of Iran's supreme leader, described withdrawal from the NPT and the creation of stronger deterrence as an "unavoidable necessity" and a "national demand."
Rather than presenting withdrawal as one possible response to external pressure, the assembly chose to frame reconsidering Iran's commitments as an obligation arising from the country's security requirements. It called on the Foreign Ministry to communicate Tehran's position to neighboring countries and support what it described as the path of resistance.
