When Iran’s covert nuclear program came to international attention over two decades ago, Tehran insisted that its intentions were peaceful and that it had no plans to develop weapons. The country’s then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, even went as far as issuing a fatwa, or legal ruling under Islamic law, banning them. The calls to pursue a nuclear bomb grew louder with Israel’s unprecedented military operation against Iran last year which killed several of the country’s military and nuclear leaders. The calls increased again with Trump’s order to strike three of Iran’s most important nuclear sites. Even before those strikes, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had warned that Tehran was prepared to shift its nuclear posture.

Source: CNN March 29, 2026 08:43 UTC