Overview
- Iran’s ruling hardliners are now debating in public whether to seek a nuclear bomb as the war with the United States and Israel grinds on.
- Tasnim, a news agency tied to the Revolutionary Guard, urged quitting the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty, and state TV aired a pundit who said Iran should build or acquire a weapon.
- Hardline politician Mohammad Javad Larijani called for suspending NPT membership, a stance that reflects the Guard’s greater sway after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
- Officials quoted by Reuters said Iran has not changed nuclear doctrine, and weeks of strikes on nuclear and scientific sites likely slow any rush to a bomb.
- Khamenei’s unwritten religious ban on nuclear arms is now in doubt after his death, and analysts say Iran’s long‑used threshold strategy may face a rethink.