Iran says Khamenei’s ban of nuclear weapons binding

Iran says Khamenei’s ban of nuclear weapons binding.(AA).Iran says a religious decree issued by the country’s supreme leader banning nuclear weapons is binding for the Iranian government. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the West must understand the significance of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s fatwa for the Islamic Republic, and that the edict should end the debate over whether Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Khamenei said last year that Iran is not seeking atomic arms. He called possessing such weapons a “sin” as well as “useless, harmful and dangerous.” Mehmanparast’s comments Tuesday come a day ahead of a new round of talks between Iran and the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program. The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. Read the full story here.


Hmmm.......Fatwas are issued in response to specific circumstances and can be altered in response to changing conditions. Ayatollah Khomeini modified his position on a number of issues during his lifetime—for instance, on taxes, military conscription, women’s suffrage, and monarchy as a form of government. Thus nothing would prevent Khamenei from modifying or supplanting his nuclear fatwa should circumstances dictate a change in policy.
Shiite tradition permits deception and dissimulation in matters of life and death, and when such tactics serve the interests of the Islamic umma (community).The context surrounding the original, rather expansive, nuclear fatwa and subsequent formulations that only prohibit the use of nuclear weapons demonstrates an important point: fatwas arise in response to specific circumstances and can be amended or reversed as circumstances change. Khamenei’s original fatwa was probably issued to deflect international pressure following the revelations regarding the Natanz centrifuge enrichment plant, and in response to concerns that after invading Iraq, the United States might invade Iran. Fatwas are not immutable, and no religious principle would prevent Khamenei from modifying or supplanting his initial fatwa if circumstances were to change.