Using a nuclear weapon is a grave sin

The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the use of nuclear, chemical and similar weapons to be a grave, unforgivable sin. We proposed the idea of “a Middle East free of nuclear weapons,” and we are committed to this. But this does not mean forgoing our right to the peaceful use of nuclear power and the production of nuclear fuel. According to international laws, the peaceful use of nuclear energy is the right of every country…

A bitter irony of our times is that the U.S. government, which possesses the largest, deadliest stockpile of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction and which is the only country guilty of using them, is eager today to carry the banner of opposition to nuclear proliferation. The U.S. and its Western allies have armed the usurper, Zionist regime with nuclear weapons and created a major threat for this sensitive region. Yet the same deceitful group does not tolerate the peaceful use of nuclear energy by independent countries. They even oppose with all their strength the production of nuclear fuel for radiopharmaceuticals and other peaceful, humane purposes. The false pretext they use is fear of the production of nuclear weapons. In the case of the Islamic Republic of Iran, they themselves know that they are lying. However, lies are sanctioned by the kind of politics that is completely devoid of the slightest trace of spirituality. Will the one who shamelessly makes nuclear threats in the 21st century feel ashamed of lying?

I stress that the Islamic Republic has never pursued nuclear weapons. At the same time, it will never give up the right of its people to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Our slogan is, “Nuclear energy for all, and nuclear weapons for none.”

The Leader’s address delivered on August 30, 2012 at the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran

We do not accept nuclear weapons because of our beliefs

Well, we do not accept nuclear weapons, not because of so and so, and not because of America or other countries. Rather, we are against nuclear weapons based on our beliefs. No one should have nuclear weapons. When we say that other countries should not have nuclear weapons, this means that we ourselves should not and will not have them either.

Leader’s speech delivered on September 17, 2013 in a meeting with commanders and officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

The decision not to use nuclear weapons is based on Islamic laws

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army and the other Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic honor Islamic commitments… If we have said – and we have said - that we will not use nuclear weapons, it is because of such commitments to Islam and to the Islamic laws and regulations.

Leader’s speech delivered on April 19, 2015 in a meeting with commanders and personnel of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army

Based on Islamic thinking, weapons that kill civilians are forbidden

Some people - including that international Zionist clown – constantly say that they will not let us build a nuclear weapon. But who are you to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon? If we decided to build a nuclear weapon, you and powers greater than you would not be able to stop us. But we have not decided to do so based on our Islamic thinking. Our Islamic thinking says that a weapon which is used for killing civilians, non-military people and ordinary people is forbidden. It is forbidden whether they are nuclear or chemical weapons. Such weapons are forbidden. It is due to the Islamic viewpoint that we do not want to build a nuclear weapon. However, if we wanted to do so, who are you to prevent us? You yourselves do not observe these principles. In one day, the US massacred 220,000 people [referring to the bombardment of Japanese cities]… Therefore, [based on our Islamic viewpoint] we are not thinking of building a nuclear weapon at all.

Leader’s speech delivered on February 22, 2021 in a meeting with members of the Assembly of Experts

The Quranic bases for the ban on nuclear weapons

The repetitive, outdated, nonsensical accusation that they level at the Islamic Republic about building nuclear weapons indicates their total incapability, even in the area of propaganda. The Islamic Republic does not at all insist on putting a lot of feeling and emotion into defending itself in this matter. We do not accept nuclear bombs and weapons, and we will not pursue them. Based on our ideological and religious principles, using such weapons of mass destruction is fundamentally unlawful and religiously forbidden because it leads to the destruction of people and also agriculture. The Holy Qur’an has forbidden this, and so we will not pursue them.

Leader’s speech delivered on February 19, 2010 in a meeting with officials in charge of building the Jamaran Warship

Using all kinds of weapons of mass destruction is religiously forbidden

In our opinion, in addition to nuclear weapons, all other kinds of weapons of mass destruction – including chemical and biological weapons -  are considered to be a serious threat against humanity as well. Having been the victim of chemical weapons, the Iranian nation feels even more than other nations the danger of producing and storing such weapons. Therefore, the nation is ready to use all its resources in the effort to confront them. We consider the use of these weapons to be religiously forbidden, and we believe the effort to immunize all human beings from this grave tragedy is everyone’s responsibility.

Leader’s message delivered on April 17, 2010 to the International Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

We believe that building nuclear weapons is a crime against humanity

We do not want to build nuclear weapons and this is not because it would upset America. Rather, it is based on our beliefs. We believe that building nuclear weapons is a crime against humanity and that they should not be built. Furthermore, we believe that all existing nuclear weapons should be destroyed too. This is our belief.

Leader’s speech delivered on February 16, 2013 in a meeting with the people of East Azerbaijan

A nuclear weapon is a source of trouble

A few criminal countries, which have either used nuclear bombs themselves against other nations or tested them - such as America and France – are trying to tell us what to do. Ten or twelve years ago, France conducted three nuclear tests in the ocean in a row. These tests are destructive and they destroy the marine ecosystem. They conducted three very dangerous tests and they were only slightly criticized in the world over this matter. And then everyone stopped talking about it and it was over.

And then they are telling us [to not build nuclear weapons]! We are not in pursuit of building nuclear bombs or making tests. We are not pursuing nuclear weapons, but this is not because they are telling us not to pursue these things. Rather, we do not want these things because of ourselves, our religion and our reason. Religious laws, reason and religious decrees dictate that we should not pursue them. Our decrees based on reasoning tell us that we do not need a nuclear weapon now or in the future. A nuclear weapon is a source of trouble for a country like ours.

Leader’s speech delivered on April 9, 2015 in a meeting with a number of elegists

Storing nuclear weapons is futile and very harmful

They know that we are not pursuing nuclear weapons. They already know this. I do not have any doubt that in the countries that are opposed to us, the organizations in charge of decision making are fully aware of this fact that we are not pursuing nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are not beneficial to us at all. Moreover, from an ideological and jurisprudential perspective, we consider developing nuclear weapons to be unlawful. We consider using such weapons to be a grave sin. We also believe that storing such weapons is futile, very harmful and very dangerous. We will never pursue them. They know this, but they emphasize this issue in order to stop our progress.

Leader’s speech delivered on February 22, 2012 in a meeting with Iranian Nuclear Scientists in Tehran

Nuclear weapons do not bring power

We want to prove to the world that nuclear weapons do not bring power. This may be understood by looking at how the nuclear powers are suffering from the biggest problems today. They have dominated the world by making nuclear threats, but today such threats are no longer effective. We want to say that we are not pursuing nuclear weapons, we do not believe nuclear weapons bring power and we can break the kind of power that is based on nuclear weapons.

Leader’s speech delivered on February 22, 2012 in a meeting with Iranian Nuclear Scientists in Tehran

Building nuclear weapons is against our interests

We are not pursuing nuclear weapons and the West knows this perfectly well, because building nuclear weapons is against the country’s political and economic interests. It is also against what Islam has commanded. Therefore, the Islamic Republic will continue moving on the path of scientific progress with reliance on its principles and without having any fear of this commotion that they make. The world cannot influence the will of the Iranian people.

Leader’s speech delivered on January 18, 2006 in a meeting with Tajikistan’s President and his accompanying delegation

Nuclear weapons have no place in Iran’s military system

Our nation says that it seeks to gain nuclear technology and that it seeks to have the capability to use nuclear energy for peaceful, civilian purposes. Then they say that the Iranian nation is trying to develop a nuclear bomb. Why do they tell these lies? Why do they say such things to make the Iranian nation strongly detest them? They have been doing these things over the past years.

On numerous occasions, the Iranian people and government officials have announced that they do not seek to develop nuclear weapons, and that nuclear weapons are not a part of the needs of the nation and the military system of the country. We have announced that it is religiously forbidden and prohibited to use nuclear weapons from an Islamic point of view, and having such weapons brings a great danger and needless trouble. We are not pursuing nuclear weapons, nor do we wish to have them. Even if they paid us money and told us to develop a nuclear weapon, our nation and officials would not do so. But as you can see in the propaganda spread by our opponents and the western media over the past few years, they say that Iran is pursuing a nuclear bomb instead of saying Iran is pursuing peaceful nuclear energy. They have been saying these things in order to justify their false claims. Isn’t this injustice?

The Leader’s address delivered on June 4, 2009 on the occasion of the anniversary of Imam Khomeini’s demise

The enemy knows that Iran is not in pursuit of building nuclear weapons

The enemies pretexts for their hostility is different on different occasions. Since the time the nuclear issue was brought up, the pretext for their enmities has been the nuclear issue. Of course, they know and they acknowledge that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, which is true. We have our own reasons for not pursuing nuclear weapons. We have not manufactured any nuclear weapons and we never will. They know this and the nuclear issue is just a pretext… We do not have atomic weapons and we will not build atomic weapons in the future.

Leader’s speech delivered on March 20, 2012 to a number of pilgrims at Imam Reza’s shrine in the holy city of Mashhad

They wish to take away elements of power from Iran

They say that they are opposed to nuclear weapons, but they are lying because this is not their issue. Perhaps many or all of them know that we are not pursuing nuclear weapons, but they are even opposed to us having conventional weapons. They are opposed to us having defensive capabilities because they seek to take away Iran’s elements of power

Leader’s speech delivered on February 22, 2021 in a meeting with members of the Assembly of Experts