Iranian MPs Debate Possible Shift in Nuclear Doctrine and Exit From NPT

Iran's nuclear doctrine is generating a heated debate in the Islamic Republic's parliament and power circles as the United States and Israel designated Iran's capability to develop a nuclear weapon as the primary objective of their war on Iran.

Kamran Ghazanfari, a member of Iran's parliament, told Euronews on Friday that building nuclear weapons is far more essential for Iran than neutralising what he called "US and Israeli propaganda against the Islamic Republic."

"When America and the Zionist regime have repeatedly threatened us with the use of nuclear weapons, we cannot be indifferent to this issue, as it is a threat that targets all the people of Iran and our very existence," Ghazanfari said, adding that "they are enemies and have shown that they will not refrain from any crime so we cannot say 'God willing they will not use nuclear weapons against us'. We must confront them," the Iranian lawmaker said.

He called on Iran's leadership that "we must review the nuclear doctrine of the Islamic Republic so that the enemy knows that if it seeks a nuclear attack on Iran, it will face a reciprocal response from Iran," adding that "just as since the Second World War until now none of the countries that possess nuclear weapons have used these weapons against each other because they fear that the other side will carry out such an attack against them, the Islamic Republic must also create deterrent power."

Ghazanfari does not see the lack of nuclear submarines and bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons as undermining the Islamic Republic's nuclear deterrence, stating that missiles are also a solution to carry nuclear warheads.

But a former Iranian lawmaker, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, told Euronews that even if Iran had several nuclear warheads it would still lack nuclear deterrence, stating that "I find it unlikely that nuclear deterrence is part of our country's strategy because nuclear deterrence has three components: having an atomic bomb, a deterrent nuclear balance, and the ability to deliver the final blow. Those who think nuclear deterrence is created simply by having an atomic bomb are mistaken."

In a telephone call with Euronews, he said that "I really do not know whether the country has an atomic bomb or not, but, as far as I was aware, Iran's nuclear programme was peaceful, and even its possible military dimensions were closed by the JCPOA so that Iran's case would be removed from Chapter Seven of the UN Charter."

"In my view Iran's military strategy is a conventional strategy, and this strategy has been fairly effective. I also find it unlikely that what Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei meant when he said that Iran has certain things was an atomic bomb," Falahatpisheh said.

Kamran Ghazanfari, however, believes that when the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council says that "we have something", he is referring not to an ordinary weapon but to a "special weapon".

He said that Iran is trying to formally withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology.

"I infer that this change of doctrine has in practice already happened. In parliament we are also pursuing withdrawal from the NPT, and last year some members of the presiding board of parliament blocked it, but MPs are still pressing for this plan to be put on the open floor, although a series of obstruction efforts are still preventing the plan from reaching the floor, Ghazanfari said.

But Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh considers the withdrawal from the NPT to be laying the groundwork for future wars against Iran, stating that "Iran's relations with the NPT have in practice been destroyed and whether Iran remains in the NPT or not depends on the nature of relations between Iran and America."

“The discussion of Iran leaving the NPT does not help Iran's national interests because leaving the NPT amounts to hiding part of Iran's nuclear programme,” Falahatpisheh told Euronews, adding that Iran’s “Supreme National Security Council has not agreed to the MPs' triple-urgency bill to withdraw from the NPT, otherwise this plan would have been put before an open session of parliament."

Meanwhile on Thursday, Iran’s Assembly of Experts also called for examining the issue of Iran's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In a statement, the assembly, whose main task is oversight of the performance of the leadership, said that "examining the issue of withdrawal from the NPT, reviewing the country's defence doctrine and creating the necessary deterrence has become an unavoidable necessity and has turned into a public and national demand."

Finally, in announcing Iran’s latest position on the NPT membership, Iran's Foreign Ministry stressed that the Islamic Republic still remains committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.