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Iran’s stance against the improvement of atomic weapons volition not importantly change, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Al Jazeera successful remarks relayed by Iranian media connected Wednesday (March 18, 2026), cautioning that the caller ultimate person is yet to publically express his presumption connected the matter.
Former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed aboriginal successful the U.S.-Israeli warfare against Iran, opposed the improvement of weapons of wide demolition successful a fatwa, oregon spiritual edict, issued successful the aboriginal 2000s.
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Western countries, including the U.S. and Israel, person for years accused Tehran of seeking atomic weapons, portion Iranian authorities person said their atomic programme is solely for civilian purposes.
Mr. Araqchi said fatwas beryllium connected the Islamic jurist issuing them and added helium was not yet successful a presumption to justice the jurisprudential oregon governmental views of Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s caller ultimate leader.
New protocol for the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Foreign Minister said helium believed that aft the warfare comes to an end, countries that borderline the Gulf should draught a caller protocol for the Strait of Hormuz, to guarantee that harmless transition done the constrictive waterway is carried retired nether definite conditions aligned with Iranian and determination interests.
Iran unopen the captious energy gateway, done which a 5th of planetary lipid and liquefied state passes, saying it “won’t adjacent let a litre of oil” to scope the U.S., Israel and their partners.
On Tuesday (March 17, 2026), Iran’s parliament speaker tweeted that the Strait of Hormuz’ concern won’t instrumentality to its pre-war conditions.
The U.S. has sought to physique a naval conjugation to escort vessels navigating the strait, with astir NATO allies saying they don’t privation to get progressive successful subject operations against Iran.
NATO-member France said it would lone see a associated planetary conjugation to unafraid transition done the strait pursuing a ceasefire and anterior negotiations with Tehran.
Araqchi said an extremity to the warfare was lone conceivable if the struggle is permanently implicit passim the portion and Iran receives compensation for damages incurred.
Strikes adjacent municipality areas blamed connected U.S. relocation
Asked astir Iranian strikes successful the Gulf not lone targeting U.S. subject bases but besides impacting residential oregon commercialized areas, Iran’s overseas curate said this was due to the fact that U.S. forces relocated to municipality areas.
“Wherever determination were American forces gathering, wherever determination were facilities belonging to them, they were targeted. It is imaginable immoderate of these places were adjacent municipality areas,” the apical Iranian diplomat said.
Araqchi acknowledged that determination countries are “upset and their radical person been harmed oregon bothered” by Iranian strikes, but added that the blasted laic wholly with the U.S. for starting the warfare connected February 28.
