Iran’s ostensible stance against the development of nuclear weapons won’t significantly change, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tells Al Jazeera in remarks relayed by Iranian media, cautioning that the new supreme leader has yet to publicly express his view on the matter.
Former supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed early in the US-Israeli war against Iran, opposed the development of weapons of mass destruction in a fatwa, or religious edict, issued in the early 2000s.
Western countries, including the US and Israel, have for years accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons despite the supposed decree, while Iranian authorities have said their nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes.
Araghchi says fatwas depend on the Islamic jurist issuing them and adds he is not yet in a position to judge the jurisprudential or political views of Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader.
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