New York Times: Mojtaba Khamenei More Inclined Than His Father to Possess Nuclear Weapons

The New York Times reported, citing US intelligence sources, that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader of Iran, shows a greater inclination than his late father Ali Khamenei towards developing advanced nuclear weapons.

Ali Khamenei had pledged not to develop a nuclear weapon and issued a fatwa banning the use of nuclear weapons, and informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of this fatwa in 2005. Despite that, the Iranian nuclear program continued to develop. According to the newspaper, Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war, had pledged not to develop a nuclear weapon, and issued a fatwa banning the use of nuclear weapons, and the IAEA was informed of it in 2005.

However, that fatwa did not prevent the continued development of the Iranian nuclear program or the taking of steps that brought it closer to possessing weapons capabilities, while hardline currents within Iran have since sought to accelerate this path.

The newspaper noted that the US assessments, based on public statements and conversations that were intercepted before the war, concluded that Mojtaba Khamenei does not share his father's reservations regarding nuclear weapons, and that the hardline leadership formed after the United States and Israel assassinated a number of former Iranian leaders adopts a more open approach towards developing advanced nuclear weapons.

According to US officials, at the end of the administration of President Joe Biden, Iran was considering developing a rudimentary nuclear weapon, similar to the Hiroshima bomb, but the new Supreme Leader appears more interested in developing miniaturized thermonuclear warheads that can be mounted on long-range missiles.

The report added that the current Iranian government imposed greater control over the Strait of Hormuz, and showed rigidity in negotiations, warning that the US-Israeli war may have increased the likelihood of Tehran seeking to possess nuclear weapons instead of deterring it.

In contrast, US officials stressed that most of the information regarding Mojtaba Khamenei's views dates from before the war, noting that he reduced his communications and public appearances after being injured during the fighting, and that he does not enjoy the absolute influence that his father had.

This assessment comes as US President Donald Trump considers expanding the military campaign against Iran, as the newspaper sees that Washington's conviction of the new Iranian leadership's openness to possessing a nuclear bomb may give the US administration an additional justification for escalation.

The officials confirmed that Iran has not resumed its nuclear program, but it transferred a number of centrifuges to a highly fortified underground complex in the center of the country, which the United States calls 'Mountain of the Axe', in a step that the Wall Street Journal said Israeli intelligence had monitored.

Although the US strikes that targeted the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities in June 2025 disrupted the nuclear program, the US assessments indicate that they only delayed it, while Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium remained intact.

The newspaper also warned that Iranian officials previously saw the nuclear weapon as the only guarantee to deter any American or Israeli attack, and believe today that the war has reinforced this orientation.