Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the National Security Committee in the Iranian parliament, revealed on Wednesday that some Iranian lawmakers are urging the regime to accelerate nuclear weapons development to counter President Donald Trump’s Middle East agenda.
“A few months before Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, several experts said that Iran needed to build a nuclear bomb,” Ardestani stated in an interview with an Iranian news website.
He disclosed that multiple members of the Majles (Iran’s parliament) have written to the Supreme National Security Council and urged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to revoke the religious fatwa banning nuclear weapons development.
Ardestani claimed that renewed interest in nuclear armament was partly driven by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s assertion that Trump respected North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un because he possessed nuclear weapons. This reasoning has intensified calls within Iran to pursue nuclear armament as a deterrent.
Ayatollah Khamenei, speaking on Wednesday, framed the recent anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution as a demonstration of Iran’s resilience. “Despite the constant, idiotic threats against us, the people of Iran showed the world their identity, their strength, and their unwavering resolve,” Khamenei declared.
Despite Khamenei’s boasts, Iran faces significant internal strife. The nation’s economy is collapsing, with inflation at 45 percent and nearly 50 percent of the population living in poverty. The Iranian currency has plummeted to 928,000 rials against the U.S. dollar, and soaring real estate costs have placed homeownership out of reach for many citizens.
Tehran’s military credibility has also taken a major hit. Iran’s proxies across the Middle East have suffered crushing defeats in the Gaza conflict, and its missile capabilities failed against Israel during recent skirmishes, diminishing Iran’s reputation as a regional power.
President Trump has vowed to intensify economic pressure on Iran, particularly by targeting its oil exports, which account for 40 percent of government revenue. Afshin Molavi, a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, told Newsweek, “Iran’s economy is battered. It faces dire energy shortages, owing mainly to its own mismanagement and corruption, but also due to sanctions.”
Iran’s representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, condemned Trump’s stance on Iran’s nuclear ambitions in a letter to the U.N. Security Council (UNSC). “These reckless and inflammatory statements flagrantly violate international law and the UN Charter,” Iravani wrote, warning that any act of aggression would have “severe consequences.”
Despite these protests, Trump remains firm on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, signaling further pressure on the regime as his administration moves forward with its Middle East strategy.
