Iranian Hardliners Urge Nuclear Weapons Program As UN Sanctions Loom

‘Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja

DAILY COURIER —A bloc of hardline Iranian lawmakers is pressuring the government to begin developing a nuclear weapon, just days before the United Nations is set to reimpose sweeping international sanctions on Tehran.

Seventy members of Iran’s parliament, led by a representative from the conservative city of Mashhad, have signed a letter demanding a “change in the defence doctrine” of the Islamic Republic. The appeal, published on the state-affiliated Fars news site, was directed to the Supreme National Security Council, the top body overseeing the nuclear portfolio. It stopped short of addressing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose 20-year-old religious edict prohibits the use of nuclear arms but does not explicitly forbid their construction.

The legislators argued that Israel’s recent military actions, including a June attack on Iranian nuclear facilities that ignited a 12-day conflict, have pushed the region to the “brink of madness.” They contend that maintaining a nuclear deterrent is necessary as Israel—widely believed to possess nuclear weapons—continues to strike targets in the region with impunity.

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Suspension of Cooperation with UN Nuclear Watchdog

The call for a weapons program comes after Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced it is suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The move followed a decision by Britain, France, and Germany; remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement—to trigger the accord’s “snapback” mechanism, paving the way for all UN sanctions to return by the end of the week.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful energy production and medical research. However, the Western powers argue that Tehran’s enrichment of uranium close to weapons grade violates the 2015 deal, which the United States abandoned in 2018. Despite opposition from China and Russia, the European trio secured a UN Security Council vote last week to reinstate the penalties.

Diplomatic Push in New York

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in New York on Monday for urgent talks with European and other global officials, while President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Araghchi said he presented an “actionable plan” to delay sanctions by reducing Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, but he accused European counterparts of “outright deflection” and claimed backing from Iran’s top security council.

Strategic Partnership with Russia and China

Amid the escalating standoff with the West, Iran is deepening ties with Russia and China. Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency, was in Moscow on Monday to finalize an agreement for Russia to construct eight nuclear power plants in Iran, four in Bushehr and four at yet-to-be-announced locations. Tehran says the plants will help produce 20,000 megawatts of power to address chronic electricity shortages.

Iran has also increased discounted oil exports to China as U.S. sanctions tighten, while Vice President Mohammad Reza Araf indicated that contingency plans are being prepared to cushion the economy if UN sanctions return.

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Economic and Political Tensions

The looming sanctions have already rattled Iran’s economy. The rial traded around 1.05 million to the U.S. dollar on Monday, near record lows. Inflation remains above 35 percent, forcing the government to rely on cash handouts and subsidies to ease public discontent among its 90 million citizens.

As the nation observes “Holy Defense Week,” commemorating the bloody 1980–88 Iran-Iraq war, senior military commanders issued fresh warnings to Israel and the United States. The statements underscore the growing influence of hardliners who view a nuclear deterrent as essential to national survival in the face of renewed international pressure.

Whether the push for nuclear arms will translate into policy remains uncertain, but the escalating rhetoric highlights the precarious balance between diplomacy and confrontation as the UN deadline approaches.