Iran neither takes orders nor seeks permission for nuclear activities, says VP

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said Tehran will not seek permission from any country for its nuclear activities, while rejecting allegations that it is pursuing nuclear weapons.

"We neither take orders nor seek permission regarding our nuclear technology," Aref said on Tuesday.

He said that Iran's nuclear program is focused on peaceful development and guided by religious principles, pointing out that Iran abides by the Supreme Leader’s fatwa (religious decree) prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons.

“If a fatwa prohibits nuclear weapons development and permits peaceful nuclear technology, all state institutions will comply," he said.

In an October 2019 speech, Khamenei said that building and maintaining nuclear weapons is "absolutely haram," meaning strictly forbidden under Islamic law.

Several officials have in the last year hinted at Iran's nuclear capabilities. Last April, after Iran's inaugural aerial barrage on Israel, a senior IRGC commander warned that Tehran could change its nuclear policies if Israel continues to threaten to attack Iran’s nuclear sites.

Ahmad Haghtalab, who is in charge of the security of Iran’s nuclear sites, said: “If the Zionist regime wants to use the threat of attacking nuclear sites to put pressure on Iran, it is possible and conceivable for the Islamic Republic to revise its nuclear doctrine and policies, and deviate from its past declared considerations."

Just this week, Iran's foreign minister said the country’s nuclear program cannot be destroyed by military means, citing the program's widespread dispersion and robust protection.

During an interview at the Iranian consulate in Jeddah on Friday, Abbas Araghchi told AFP, “Iran's nuclear program cannot be destroyed through military operations" because the technology is ingrained, facilities are dispersed and protected, and Iran would retaliate proportionally.