Iran’s position against developing nuclear weapons remains unchanged, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday, amid global scrutiny following the US-Israeli strikes that killed former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Araqchi cautioned that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to publicly clarify his stance on nuclear weapons, making it premature to assess any potential shift in policy. He noted that fatwas, or religious edicts, depend on the Islamic jurist issuing them and are central to shaping Iran’s approach to such matters.

Former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who passed away in the recent conflict, had issued a fatwa in the early 2000s prohibiting the development of weapons of mass destruction. The decree has long been cited by Iranian authorities to emphasize that Tehran’s nuclear programme is intended solely for civilian purposes.

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Western nations, including the United States and Israel, have repeatedly accused Iran of secretly pursuing nuclear arms. Araqchi’s remarks reiterated Tehran’s longstanding position while highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the new leadership’s future directives.

The foreign minister stressed that Iran remains committed to its declared nuclear objectives and warned against premature assumptions regarding shifts in policy under the new supreme leader.

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