Debate within Iran over pursuing a nuclear weapon is growing more public and
forceful as hardliners gain influence following the killing of Ali Khamenei,
sources said. While no policy change has been decided, some officials are urging
withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
State-linked voices, including Mohammad Javad Larijani, have called for
suspending NPT membership. Analysts say Iran has long sought “threshold state”
status, but internal divisions persist, and the debate may also serve as
negotiating leverage.
