Iranian Lawmaker Calls For Obtaining a Nuclear Weapon, Suggests New Supreme Leader Could Be More Open to It.

An Iranian lawmaker appeared to suggest that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei could be more open to pursuing a nuclear weapon than his father, Ali Khamenei.

“From Mojtaba Khamenei’s conduct, my understanding is that his fatwa will be different,” Ahmad Naderi said, in reference to the doctrine from Ali Khamenei claiming Iran would not seek a nuclear weapon due to religious motives.

Elsewhere, Naderi expressed his own support for pursuing such a bomb, calling it the ultimate military deterrence.

Different reports have detailed that Mojtaba Khamenei is more open to developing a nuclear weapon than his late father, but other top officials repeatedly claimed Tehran does not seek it.

Earlier this month, Vice President JD Vance addressed the contrasting remarks, saying that if Iran wants to “show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their ​enrichment capacity.”

“If you don’t want a nuclear weapon, then why ​do you need 60% enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don’t build highly enriched ⁠fuel. That’s a very basic threshold issue,” he added.

An unnamed senior officials told Reuters shortly after that the country will “never” give up the right to enrich uranium in exchange for a deal with the United States.

“There have been no negotiations between Iran and the US about Tehran’s nuclear program,” the senior official told Reuters on Wednesday. He went on to say that the right to enrichment is a “red line” for Tehran, which will “never give up its right.”

Tensions remain high in the meantime. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi taunted President Donald Trump over his claim that he could soon “finish the job” in the country. He also took on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Last time you wanted to ‘finish the job,’ Iran emerged even stronger. Want to try your luck again? Be our guest. But be careful; we have unfinished jobs too,” Araghchi said in a social media publication.

The official went on to claim that Netanyahu is “driving America into another war to stay out of jail, whatever the consequences for Israel—let alone POTUS.”

The remarks follow those of Trump, who on Sunday said in a post of his own that unless Tehran “change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job.” He added that the U.S. might have to continue fighting Iran alone if someone other than Netanyahu is elected as Israel’s prime minister in the upcoming elections, scheduled for October 27.

Trump also endorsed Netanyahu, calling him a “Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Netanyahu released a video responding to the endorsement, thanking Trump for the support and echoing his message about the strength of their partnership against Iran.