Guwahati: Iran’s position on the development of nuclear weapons is unlikely to change, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, even as he noted that the country’s new Supreme Leader has not yet publicly outlined his views on the issue.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Araghchi said Iran’s long-standing opposition to weapons of mass destruction remains intact. Former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the early stages of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, had issued a fatwa in the early 2000s prohibiting the development of such weapons.
However, Araghchi observed that religious edicts are contingent on the Islamic jurist who issues them and said he was not in a position to assess the jurisprudential or political stance of Mojtaba Khamenei, the country’s new Supreme Leader.
Western nations, including the United States and Israel, have long accused Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran, however, has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is intended solely for civilian use.
On the broader regional situation, Araghchi suggested that countries bordering the Gulf should work towards a new protocol governing the Strait of Hormuz once the ongoing conflict ends, to ensure safe passage in a manner aligned with regional interests.
The strategically vital waterway, through which roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass, has been severely impacted during the conflict. Iran had earlier shut the strait, stating that it would not allow oil shipments to reach the United States, Israel or their allies.
On March 17, Iran’s Parliament Speaker indicated that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz would not revert to pre-war norms.
Meanwhile, the United States has sought to form a naval coalition to escort vessels transiting the strait, though several NATO allies have expressed reluctance to participate in direct military operations against Iran. France has said it would consider joining an international effort to secure maritime routes only after a ceasefire and negotiations with Tehran.
Araghchi said a resolution to the conflict would require a comprehensive end to hostilities across the region, along with compensation for damages suffered by Iran.
Responding to concerns over Iranian strikes affecting areas near civilian infrastructure in the Gulf, the Foreign Minister said such incidents occurred because U.S. forces had positioned themselves close to urban locations.
“Wherever American forces were present, those locations were targeted. Some of these sites may have been near residential or commercial areas,” he said.
Araghchi acknowledged that the strikes had caused distress among populations in neighbouring countries but maintained that responsibility lay with the United States, which he accused of initiating the conflict on February 28.