Hardline lawmakers demand nuclear bomb as Iran braces for UN sanctions

Seventy members of parliament sign a letter calling for a ‘change in the defence doctrine’ of the nation

Seventy members of parliament sign a letter calling for a ‘change in the defence doctrine’ of the nation

Tehran, Iran – Hardline lawmakers in Iran have once again demanded the country start building a nuclear bomb as Western powers are days away from reimposing United Nations sanctions amid concerns war could restart with Israel.

Led by a lawmaker from the ultraconservative holy Shia city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, 70 members of parliament signed onto a letter calling for a “change in the defence doctrine” of the theocratic establishment.

The letter, published by the state-run Fars news website, was not directly addressed to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei because his commands cannot be second-guessed by other authorities. Instead, it was directed at members of the Supreme National Security Council, which is in charge of the nuclear file and includes the president, judiciary and parliament chiefs.

Iran has long argued that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes and it has no intention of pursuing an atomic bomb, even though archnemesis Israel is known to be the only nuclear-armed power in the region.

The lawmakers argued that a fatwa, or an ultimate religious ruling, issued by Khamenei about two decades ago that prohibits the use of nuclear bombs does not technically forbid building or keeping them as deterrence.

They warned that Israel “has reached the brink of madness”, “attacks without respecting any international obligations and kills innocent people”.

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