Iran reconfirms its ‘fatwa’ against building nuclear weapons

Tehran gives assurances that its nuclear policy is unchanged and that it still adheres to a fatwa banning weapons of mass destruction, after an Iranian official said the country was able to make atomic bombs.

“In regard to the topic of weapons of mass destruction, we have the fatwa,” or religious edict, by Iran’s supreme leader that prohibits the manufacture of such weapons, says foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani.

The fatwa declares the use of atomic bombs and other weapons of mass destruction to be haram, or forbidden by Islam, and it is often cited by Iranian authorities as a guarantee of Tehran’s good intentions.

“It seems that there has been no change in the view and position of the Islamic Republic of Iran” regarding the nuclear policy, Kanani tells a news conference.

His comments came in response to a question about remarks made by Kamal Kharazi, head of Iran’s strategic council of foreign relations, to Al Jazeera on Sunday about Iran’s capability to manufacture nuclear weapons.

“It is no secret to anyone that we have the technical capability to make atomic bombs, but we have not made a decision in this regard,” Kharazi said, before reiterating Iran’s position that it does not want to make a nuclear bomb.