Transcript [00:00] Is Iran trying to produce a nuclear [00:02] weapon? Now, I don't mean that question [00:04] in the big picture sense, like, has this [00:06] been their goal all along? Have they had [00:07] a nuclear weapons program? I'm talking [00:09] about something much more immediate. So, [00:12] I made a video last week about Pickax [00:15] Mountain, about this heavily fortified [00:17] underground facility uh where the [00:19] Iranians have been moving the equipment [00:21] from their other nuclear facilities that [00:23] were damaged in the previous rounds of [00:26] attacks. And they've been moving that [00:27] material, all of that uh uh you know the [00:30] centrifuges and the equipment into [00:31] pickaxe mountain. And the question is, [00:34] are they also moving the the uranium [00:36] there? We know they have a stockpile of [00:38] 60% uranium that very quickly can be [00:40] enriched to a weaponsgrade level. Even [00:43] with what they have, they could probably [00:45] already produce a dirty bomb, which is [00:47] not quite a nuclear weapon, but a very [00:49] dangerous weapon that could spread [00:50] dangerous radioactivity over a large [00:53] area. I covered all of that in that [00:55] video. What I want to focus on today is [00:58] what is the Iranian government's [01:00] position on nuclear weapons. And I don't [01:02] mean that in an unofficial sense. We [01:04] know they've been trying to get a [01:05] nuclear weapon, but through [snorts] the [01:07] messaging that we're seeing in Iranian [01:09] state media and from leading Iranian [01:12] public figures, are we seeing them [01:15] prepare the ground to change their [01:18] doctrine? Now, why would they need to [01:19] prepare the ground? Well, famously there [01:21] was an announcement made a number of [01:23] years ago that uh that Ayatollah Ali [01:26] Kamay had put out a fatwa banning the [01:29] production of nuclear weapons, banning [01:31] banning use of nuclear weapons. Now that [01:33] fatwa was never actually uh produced. It [01:36] was claimed and it was told to the IAEA [01:38] as a kind of cover, but it has been very [01:40] public and you'll often hear Iranian uh [01:44] Iranian leadership say, "Of course, [01:46] we're not making a nuclear weapon. We [01:47] have a fatwa that that prohibits us from [01:50] making, you know, a fatwa is an Islamic [01:52] religious ruling. We have this we have [01:53] this ruling from the Ayatollah that [01:55] we're not allowed to make nuclear [01:56] weapons, which means that if they wanted [01:58] to make a nuclear weapon now, they would [01:59] at least have to save phase by saying [02:01] that things have changed and that FATWA [02:03] is no longer in effect. Well, I want to [02:06] show you a few a few articles that have [02:08] been published recently, and we're going [02:09] to read between the lines and try to [02:10] understand where this is right now. So, [02:12] let's let's head to it. First is an [02:14] article, an extensive piece that was [02:16] published just the other day in the New [02:18] York Times. Iran's new leader is more [02:21] open to pursuing a nuclear weapon. US [02:23] intelligence says the previous Supreme [02:25] Leader who was killed early in the war [02:27] had renounced nuclear weapons. [02:30] US spy agencies believe his son is more [02:32] interested in building a bomb. And this [02:34] is from a couple days ago, July 24th. [02:37] American intelligence agencies believe [02:38] that Iran's new supreme leader Ayatollah [02:41] Moshaba Kamei is far more interested [02:43] than his father and predecessor in [02:45] pursuing a nuclear weapon. According to [02:47] officials briefed on the assessments. [02:49] Ayatollah Kamei's Kamei's father who was [02:53] killed at the start of the war in an [02:54] Israeli attack aided by US intelligence [02:57] had sworn off developing a nuclear [02:58] weapon. While American officials long [03:00] asserted that Iran wanted to be capable [03:03] of building a nuclear weapon, many [03:05] believe that Ayatah Ali Kami's hesitancy [03:07] was genuine. US intelligence agencies [03:10] believe that Mushtabi and the harderline [03:12] government that emerged after the United [03:14] States and Isra and is and Israel killed [03:17] many of Iran's previous leaders have [03:19] ambitions to develop advanced nuclear [03:22] weaponry. [03:23] While US officials insist Tehran has not [03:26] made any moves to restart its nuclear [03:28] program, Iran has taken some steps to [03:32] preserve its nuclear assets after the US [03:34] strikes on key facilities last year or [03:36] during pauses in fighting during the [03:38] current war. Iran has moved at least [03:40] some centrifuges, according to American [03:42] officials, to a heavily fortified [03:44] underground complex in central Iran that [03:46] the United States refers to as Pickax [03:48] Mountain. The Wall Street Journal first [03:50] reported this week that Israeli [03:52] intelligence had tracked the movement of [03:53] the centrifuges. While such a move could [03:56] be a first step towards rebuilding [03:57] enrichment capability, US officials said [04:00] they believe that for now Iran is more [04:03] interested in preserving some of its [04:05] equipment by trying to move it outside [04:07] the range of American bombs. [04:10] Whatever missteps the United States has [04:12] made in its war with Iran, the damage to [04:15] the Iranian nuclear facilities, [04:16] particularly in its strikes last year, [04:19] succeeded in at least freezing progress [04:21] on the nuclear program. The intelligence [04:23] agencies assessed that the damage would [04:25] have set back the program by only 6 [04:27] months had the Iranians immediately [04:29] moved to repair the centrifuges or [04:31] restart enrichment work at other sites. [04:33] But American officials said the Iranians [04:36] did not immediately dig out all the [04:38] facilities or restart enrichment at [04:40] other locations. Still, the building [04:43] blocks of a bomb, most notably Iran's [04:45] stockpile of highlyenriched uranium, [04:47] remain intact and ex and accessible to [04:50] Thran. Ali Kami had issued a religious [04:53] order or fatwa prohibiting the use of [04:55] nuclear weapons by Iran, a stance [04:57] publicly announced to the International [05:00] Atomic Energy Agency in 2005. [05:03] The fatwa had its limits. While it [05:05] prevented Iran from using a nuclear [05:07] bomb, it did not block the government [05:09] from developing its overall program or [05:12] taking steps towards weaponization. Ah, [05:15] even after the fatwa was in place, [05:17] harderline elements in the Iranian [05:18] government wanted to to be able to [05:21] quickly develop a nuclear weapon. Now, [05:23] why would they want to be able to [05:24] quickly develop one? For for a a [05:27] doomsday scenario where their regime is [05:29] being threatened, which is kind of where [05:31] we're headed right now. That's where I'm [05:32] headed in this video. But based on [05:34] public statements and intercepted [05:36] conversations before the war, American [05:38] intelligence officials assessed that [05:40] most of Akamei did not share his [05:42] father's hesitancy and was interested in [05:45] pursuing an advanced nuclear weapon. [05:48] Okay. Now, that's the story from the New [05:51] York Times. Now, I want to show you a [05:53] piece from uh from Memory, the Middle [05:57] East Media Research Institute. They're a [05:59] fantastic website. Go to them, [06:00] memory.org. memi.org if you haven't [06:03] heard of them already. I've used their [06:04] material before and they put out a [06:06] report u uh about uh what is it seven [06:10] about a week ago July 21st Iranian [06:13] officials call for building a nuclear [06:15] bomb and it's a report of various [06:17] statements that have been made just [06:18] recently. So this is all very recent [06:20] stuff. In recent weeks Iranian [06:22] officials, most of them affiliated with [06:23] the messianic apocalyptic school of [06:25] thought that has come to power since the [06:28] assassination of Supreme Leader Ali [06:29] Khan. You see Moshtaba and the IRGC guys [06:33] vid and these guys who've taken over are [06:35] assumed to be more more extreme than the [06:40] other guys. Look, they all have the same [06:42] extreme ideology. I don't buy this [06:45] distinction between moderates and [06:46] extremists. The only distinction [06:48] distinction that I might buy and this [06:50] was mentioned in a recent conversation I [06:52] had with Dr. David Worms. If you're not [06:54] catching those conversations over on the [06:56] Israel 365 news channel, you want to [06:58] catch them once a week. I talk with Dr. [07:00] David Worms, one of the top experts in [07:02] the world in on the Middle East. What he [07:05] said is that you you you don't have [07:07] moderates, but you might have people who [07:08] are more self-interested. Meaning, it [07:10] could be that foreign minister Aragshi [07:13] and and maybe this guy, the speaker of [07:15] the house, Galibbah, might be willing to [07:17] save their own skin and cut a deal, [07:19] whereas they're not as suicidally [07:22] apocalyptically fanatical as the as Ved [07:25] and some of the others. But I don't [07:27] really buy a difference in school of [07:29] thought. But nevertheless, Moshaba is [07:32] known to be much more militant than his [07:34] father. Um, and they've called for a [07:37] change in Iran's nuclear doctrine and [07:39] for the building of a nuclear bomb in [07:41] response to the challenges faced by the [07:43] country's Islamic regime. This is all [07:44] recently. Check this out. It should be [07:46] noted that on July 7th, [07:50] couple weeks ago, an article stating [07:52] that the Iranian regime had no choice [07:54] but to build an atomic bomb was posted [07:56] on the website of IRGC affiliated FARS [07:59] news agency, but was removed several [08:01] hours later. I think I covered that in [08:03] one of my videos. A number of Iranian [08:06] officials have stressed lately that Iran [08:08] can use a tactical nuclear weapon [08:10] against targets in Israel, claiming that [08:12] this would not be considered to be using [08:14] a nuclear bomb. [08:16] Uh furthermore, against this backdrop, [08:18] Memory has reported on an Iranian policy [08:20] of nuclear ambiguity and Iran's claim [08:23] that it could assemble a nuclear bomb [08:25] within a few hours. Meaning, maybe [08:27] they're trying to be ambiguous. Maybe [08:29] they're trying to uh threaten and and [08:32] make everyone fear that they have a [08:33] nuclear weapon already. [08:36] Below are additional statements made in [08:38] recent days by Iranian regime officials [08:40] calling for a change in Iran's nuclear [08:43] doctrine and for the building of a [08:45] nuclear bomb in order to confront the [08:46] threats faced by Iran's Islamic regime. [08:50] Majis okay the Majus is their [08:52] parliament. Majus National Security and [08:54] Foreign Policy Committee member Ahmmed [08:57] Bakshayesh Ardistani. The time has come [09:00] for Iran to build a nuclear bomb. It has [09:02] paid enough for this. Ahmed Bakshayesh [09:06] Ardistani, a member of the Majist [09:07] National Security and Foreign Policy [09:09] Committee, said on July 14th, [09:12] right, couple weeks, a little more than [09:14] a week ago, in an interview that the [09:16] time had come for the Iranian regime to [09:18] build a nuclear bomb. I think the time [09:20] has come for Iran to build a nuclear [09:22] bomb because has because it has paid [09:24] enough for this. Therefore, it must [09:26] build it now. In response to a question [09:28] about whether Iran would do so and [09:30] whether there would be a global [09:31] consensus against it, he answered, "Is [09:34] there not a global consensus against [09:35] Iran today?" In other words, what [09:37] difference does it make if the world is [09:38] against it? If there's a global [09:39] consensus, they're all against us [09:41] anyway. The leaders of the Western world [09:43] and America are waging daily war against [09:45] us. America has deployed 60,000 troops, [09:48] ships, frigots, and warships in the Sea [09:49] of Ham and the Indian Ocean. The [09:51] consensus still exists. [09:55] So you will cry and yell only once. [09:58] And now we have another guy. Abraham [09:59] Razi, spokesman of the Majist National [10:02] Security and Foreign Policy Committee, [10:03] wrote on his exac account on July 2nd [10:06] calling for Iran's nuclear doctrine to [10:08] be amended and for Iran to develop [10:10] military nuclear capabilities. These are [10:11] not marginal characters. This is the [10:14] National Security and Foreign Policy [10:15] Committee spokesman in a in a regime [10:19] like this that people don't just talk [10:20] off the cuff. [10:22] and he called on his ex account for Iran [10:25] to develop military capabilities that is [10:27] a nuclear bomb. Resa's post on X was in [10:30] response to Israeli defense minister [10:32] Katz's threat to Iranian Supreme Leader [10:34] Moshaba and in response to the eighth [10:36] clause of the US Iran memorandum of [10:38] understanding which renews Iran's [10:40] commitment to not acquire or develop [10:42] nuclear weapons. It should be noted [10:44] meaning he was saying that we should not [10:46] have agreed to that that we that we [10:48] meaning the Iranians should revise the [10:50] nuclear doctrine. It should be noted [10:52] that the Iranian regime's claims that [10:54] the late Supreme Leader Ali Kamani had [10:56] issued a fatwa banning nuclear weapons [10:57] are false and memory has written about [11:00] this extensively over the years. So [11:01] that's a separate issue. They claimed [11:03] that this fatwa never really existed. [11:06] Below is a translation of Raza's post on [11:08] X. quote, "The threat by the Zionist [11:10] regime's war minister to assassinate the [11:12] leader of the Iranian nation is a strong [11:14] and solid reason for our nuclear [11:17] doctrine to be amended along with the [11:19] eth clause of the memorandum of [11:21] understanding." Now, a little bit more [11:24] here. Political theoretician and analyst [11:26] Ali Akbar Rafipur, who is affiliated [11:28] with Iran's radical messianic school of [11:30] thought, "When your enemy threatens you [11:32] with nuclear attack, you must also be [11:34] able to threaten them in exactly the [11:36] same way." political theoretician and [11:39] analyst Ali Akbar Rafipur who heads the [11:41] MASAF struggle against Zionism, humanism [11:44] and Freemasons ideological institute. [11:46] That is actually the name of an [11:48] institute in Iran, the struggle against [11:50] Zionism, humanism and Freemasons. Okay. [11:53] He said on July 5th, this July 5th on a [11:57] program on the political online network [11:59] Revolution Street operated by the FARS [12:01] news agency, quote, I am not a [12:03] juristprudent, but as an analyst, I [12:05] understand that when your enemy [12:07] threatens you with nuclear attack, you [12:08] must also be able to threaten them in [12:10] exactly the same way. A journalist a [12:12] journalist once asked then US Secretary [12:15] of State Mike Pompeo why he hadn't [12:17] imposed the same conditions on North [12:19] Korea and Pompeo answered because North [12:22] Korea has a nuclear bomb. [12:25] Cayan editor-inchief Kayan is one of the [12:27] state media outlets. The editor-inchief [12:29] Hussein Shared Madari the distance [12:32] between us and a nuclear weapon is a [12:33] matter of will not of technology. [12:36] Hussein Shariat Madari, [12:39] editor-inchief of the regime mouthpiece [12:41] Cayan, said on July 9th in an interview [12:43] with IRGC affiliated FARs News that the [12:46] Islamic Republic has the knowledge and [12:48] technical ability to build a nuclear [12:50] weapon. But today, it is being prevented [12:53] from doing so by the command of the [12:54] martyed leader Ali and any change in [12:57] this decision depends on the opinion of [12:59] Supreme Leader Mushtak. The following [13:02] are key excerpts from the interview. The [13:04] martyed Imam did not see producing a [13:06] nuclear weapon as permissible. But has [13:09] this ruling changed with the [13:10] circumstances? The decision depends on [13:12] the opinion of this the the new supreme [13:14] leader. Similarly, it is important to [13:17] note that our distance from producing a [13:18] nuclear weapon is not technological but [13:21] a matter of will. They have everything [13:23] they need. We have the knowledge and [13:25] technology to create a nuclear weapon [13:27] and we can produce it whenever we want. [13:30] And as our mo and as our as our martyed [13:33] Imm Ali Kami said, "No power can stop us [13:36] in this matter. But we are prevented [13:38] from doing this now at the as the at the [13:40] commander of the martyed ma at the [13:42] command of the martyed master. And if [13:44] this decision changes due to changing [13:46] circumstances, it is clear that our will [13:49] in this matter will also change." Next, [13:51] military affairs analyst Majid Rajabi [13:55] said on June 9th that the Iran's nuclear [13:59] threshold doctrine has failed and only a [14:02] possession of a nuclear bomb can create [14:04] deterrence. [14:06] Look at that. And finally, Jaba [14:10] Pedari on Telegram. This is the [14:12] stability front. The stability front is [14:14] this like super extreme faction led by [14:17] this guy named Sed Jali. S Jali has been [14:20] in favor of Iran having a nuclear bomb [14:22] for a long time. The Kat the Kati energy [14:25] telegram channel also affiliated with [14:28] stability front and its leader say [14:29] Jalili called in a post on July 5th for [14:32] Iran to take advantage of the golden [14:34] opportunity of the oil crisis he claims [14:37] is currently impacting the US in order [14:39] to build a nuclear bomb and achieve [14:41] nuclear deterrence. The channel [14:44] explained that although the price of raw [14:46] crude is actually lower, the American [14:48] consumer pays high prices because of the [14:49] refining costs. Um, and then basically [14:52] he says down at the end here, it went on [14:55] to call for disrupting the movement of [14:56] oil through the straight of Hormuz for 6 [14:58] months and for Iran to take advantage of [15:00] this period of time when the US is [15:02] building up its oil reserves in order to [15:04] build a nuclear bomb. [15:07] And [15:09] this is a very interesting indication of [15:11] the of where this is going. This was [15:13] published on WANA two days ago. Two days [15:17] ago, Wana published this really weird uh [15:21] story story. This piece of I don't even [15:23] know if you can call it analysis. It's [15:25] very strange piece here. It's listed [15:27] under foreign policy and the title of it [15:30] is eight notions about Iran's nuclear [15:33] program. [15:35] Okay. What is it? Eight notions about [15:38] Iran's nuclear program. [15:42] So it says here in this text we have [15:44] outlined eight recurring and significant [15:46] notions like themes is what they mean [15:49] centered on nuclear programs. [15:52] Atom means modernity. And so it's now [15:55] it's a little bit of a history lesson. [15:57] The Palavi regime, that's the Sha who [15:59] ruled Iran before the revolution. The [16:01] Palv regime sought to modernize the [16:04] country at an unprecedented pace and [16:06] from its perspective achieving a full [16:08] nuclear fuel cycle was one of the [16:10] symbols of modernity. The nuclear [16:12] program was among the most ambitious [16:14] undertakings of the Iranian government [16:16] pursuing various political and economic [16:18] objectives. Numerous transactions and [16:20] agreements were made between the [16:22] government and other countries large and [16:24] small for the purchase, equipping, [16:26] maintenance and repair of nuclear [16:27] facilities and uranium. And then it [16:28] lists the countries. According to [16:30] surviving historical sources, Muhammad [16:33] Resa Palvi, the sha also engaged in in [16:36] covert efforts toward the development of [16:38] nuclear weapons, which became one of the [16:40] roots of his disagreement with the US [16:41] administration. So notion number one is [16:44] that it's a sign of your modernity. [16:46] Notion number two, Adam means sanctions [16:49] and resolutions. In the years following [16:51] the Islamic resolution and the 8-year [16:53] war with Iraq, all international [16:55] contracts were terminated, either by [16:57] foreign countries or by the Iranian [16:59] government itself, and Iran's nuclear [17:01] activity slowed down and faded into the [17:03] background. The nuclear file reemerged [17:06] in the spotlight years later when the [17:08] Bush administration in the United States [17:10] was promoting the term axis of evil and [17:13] turned media and public attention [17:14] towards Iran nuc toward Iran's nuclear [17:17] facilities. Muhammad Katami's government [17:19] immediately appointed a team headed by [17:21] Hassan Rouani to lead the negotiations. [17:24] Despite all of Iran's efforts to build [17:26] trust, the board of governors issued a [17:28] harsh resolution against Iran. And as [17:30] negotiations continued, despite the most [17:33] expend extensive global inspections, the [17:35] highest number of visits and the most [17:36] advanced monitoring equipment ever [17:38] imposed on a country, numerous further [17:40] resolutions and sanctions were enacted [17:42] against the nation. So number one was [17:45] that it's a sign of modernity. Number [17:46] two, when we started doing anything in [17:49] the nuclear realm, we were subject to [17:50] sanctions and resolutions against us. [17:54] And third, Adam means militancy. And [17:57] this is the next stage in Iranian [17:59] nuclear history. The administration of [18:01] Mahmud Ahmed Nad and the political [18:04] mindset he represented ended the [18:06] voluntary suspension and reopened [18:08] previously sealed facilities. This [18:10] escalation intensified Iran's [18:12] confrontation with the West. Negotiating [18:14] teams continued their efforts, but the [18:16] West sanctions policy against Iran [18:18] remained unaltered. During this period, [18:20] in the eyes of Western governments, [18:22] Western public opinion, and even some [18:24] segments of Iranian society, the [18:26] insistence on continuing the nuclear [18:27] program was interpreted as fanning the [18:29] flames of discord and militancy. The [18:32] first world countries which themselves [18:34] enjoyed the blessings of nuclear energy. [18:36] Many of which had built atom bombs and [18:38] in the case of the United States had [18:39] even used nuclear weapons militarily and [18:42] openly had now established arrangements [18:44] to prevent other nations from accessing [18:46] from accessing the same nuclear [18:48] benefits. Next is Adam Means progress. [18:52] Simultaneously with the extensive [18:53] Western media campaign against Iran's [18:55] nuclear program, Iranian media began [18:58] producing news and reports on the [18:59] benefits of nuclear energy in various [19:01] fields including health, industry, [19:04] agriculture, medicine, and sought to [19:06] direct public attention to the peaceful [19:08] nature of Iran's nuclear program. So, [19:12] you know, nuclear program at first it [19:14] was something that that the sha was [19:15] doing and then he ran a foul of the west [19:17] because he was he wanted to look at at [19:19] weapons. But then after the after the [19:21] revolution and the Iran Iraq war all of [19:24] those it all kind of went un you know it [19:26] went into the background because all of [19:27] the international contracts were [19:29] cancelled but then we started bringing [19:30] it back and we were subject to sanctions [19:33] and then Ahmed Nad started building it [19:35] up even more and was accused of being [19:36] militant but then the Iranian government [19:39] started started u you know educating [19:42] people about all the all the domestic [19:44] benefits of the nuclear program. Iran's [19:46] dependency along with that of the other [19:48] global south nations on western [19:49] government's perspectives regarding the [19:51] use of their natural resources reminds [19:53] us that we're still living in an area of [19:55] colonialism. In other words, western [19:56] governments making the rules about what [19:58] we're allowed to do is colonialism. A [20:01] colonialism more subtle than that of the [20:03] 20th century whose instruments have [20:05] changed but whose essence remains [20:07] fundamentally the same. And then [20:09] finally, we have the current period [20:10] we're in. Adam means war. Now in the [20:13] aftermath of two major military strikes [20:15] by the United States and the occupying [20:17] regime of Israel against our country [20:19] which infl which inflicted immense human [20:21] and material loss. The connection [20:24] between war and the nuclear program has [20:26] become ingrained in the language of many [20:27] western media discourses. In other [20:29] words, now what does nuclear mean? It [20:31] means you're going to get attacked. It [20:32] means if Iran pursues nuclear, you're [20:34] going to get attacked. There's going to [20:35] be a war. [20:38] Throughout the years of harsh pressure, [20:40] sanctions, overt and covert wars, [20:42] assassinations, and military and cyber [20:44] assaults, [20:46] Iranian scientists managed to advance [20:48] the country's nuclear program and [20:50] develop and manufacture many of the [20:52] industry's needs domestically. [20:53] Generations strived along this path. And [20:56] even in the face of brutal [20:57] assassinations, they did not relent. [20:59] Today, Iran's nuclear program stands as [21:01] the enduring legacy of those efforts. a [21:04] mirror of Iranian engineers, scientists, [21:06] capabilities, and for many a source of [21:08] pride and honor. So now, because of [21:10] everything we've been subjected to in [21:12] this colonialism trying to prevent us [21:14] from building nuclear energy, it is a [21:16] source of pride, the courage of the [21:18] nuclear scientists who pushed forward to [21:21] have a nuclear program. And we're and [21:22] that is a source of Iranian pride. And [21:25] finally, the last one, Adam means peace. [21:28] And this is the strategic one. [21:30] Look at this. From the perspective of [21:32] many Iranians, the only guarantee of [21:35] peace is the advancement of the nuclear [21:37] program. This is the most important line [21:39] in the whole article, by the way. This [21:40] is what it was all driving towards. This [21:42] is giving rationale [21:45] for changing the nuclear doctrine on [21:48] nuclear weapons, not on this is not [21:51] about civilian energy. Look, the only [21:54] guarantee of peace is the advancement of [21:56] the nuclear program. According to many [21:58] military strategists, the atom bomb is a [22:01] weapon designed not to be used, in other [22:03] words, a weapon for peace. If we look at [22:05] Ukraine today, it was only after it [22:07] dismantled the nuclear weapons left over [22:09] from the Soviet era that Russia invaded [22:12] the country. Whether that's true or not [22:14] in terms of the cause and effect is a [22:16] separate issue. No full-scale war in [22:18] modern history has been waged against a [22:20] nuclear armed state. In recent years, [22:22] oh, sorry, there's one more after this. [22:24] In recent years, a campaign called just [22:26] one number has been launched by Abu Fazi [22:29] Bar Bazaran, a professor at the [22:32] University of Thran, which has sought to [22:34] bring the demand for nuclear weapons to [22:36] the forefront of public discourse. This [22:39] guy, the fact that they're quoting him [22:41] in this piece means they're elevating [22:43] his voice. Who is this guy? He surfaces [22:45] every now and then. He is um he's quoted [22:48] here's an article from 2024 [22:51] from a couple years ago [22:53] called the evolving debate Iran's [22:55] nuclear policy and regional security [22:57] concerns and this is from the Tehran [22:59] Times another state media outlet and [23:01] I'll just read you this one passage here [23:03] so you understand who this guy is [23:05] national security experts such as Abu [23:08] Fazi Bazaran consider that revising the [23:11] nuclear doctrine is the only way to [23:13] control tensions in West Asia in an [23:15] interview with local media outlet [23:17] Bazaran underscored that nuclear [23:20] capability has proven to have a [23:21] significant impact on the level of [23:23] competition as well on the ability to [23:25] manage rivalry and tensions contributing [23:28] to stability in the region among [23:29] adversaries. He also highlighted that [23:32] Iran is not a normal state and therefore [23:34] security issues must be addressed [23:35] appropriately. quote, "The presence of [23:37] US nuclear vessels in the Persian Gulf [23:40] and their bases around Iran, which have [23:41] repeatedly threatened us with a nuclear [23:43] attack further increases our perception [23:46] of the need to develop nuclear [23:48] capabilities." So, he's always been of [23:49] this opinion, and he was quoted as that [23:51] side of the argument back then, but now [23:53] they're elevating his voice. [23:56] He's this guy who's been a very public [23:58] uh voice advocating for Iran to have [24:00] nuclear weapons so that they can be more [24:04] secure and more uh you know from their [24:05] enemies. Adam means a strong Iran. Many [24:09] politicians and and Iranians believe [24:11] that despite all the costs incurred in [24:13] pursuing the nuclear program today, it [24:16] is essential for the country's [24:17] industrial, economic, military, and [24:19] energy development, a powerful Iran of [24:21] tomorrow above all needs the deterrence [24:23] needs deterrence and security so that in [24:26] the shadow of that security, the [24:27] country's progress can be accelerated. [24:28] In other words, we need a nuclear weapon [24:30] to deter the enemies from so that we can [24:33] flourish as a nation. The Islamic [24:35] Republic of Iran has faced constant [24:37] security threats since its very [24:38] inception and the country's future will [24:40] be shaped in these critical and present [24:42] moments. So the title of the piece is [24:45] eight notions about Iran's nuclear [24:47] program. But what it is is laying out [24:49] the case for why the doctrine has to [24:52] change. Now take a step back and think [24:54] about what we just read. This is an [24:56] Iranian state media outlet. This is not [24:59] media. This is a press release. This is [25:01] the Iranian leadership putting out there [25:06] messaging, making the case for why it's [25:10] why they need to create nuclear weapons, [25:13] why they need to change the doctrine. [25:15] And meanwhile, we have the memory piece [25:17] which cites a whole bunch of different [25:19] people in different levels of the [25:20] Iranian government and public figures [25:22] calling for this change. And this is all [25:24] from the last month. And we have this [25:27] piece in the New York Times [25:29] um which which is is uh is putting [25:33] forward the same idea that things are [25:35] changing. So folks, you put it all [25:37] together, I don't think it is a stretch [25:39] at all to say quite confidently that [25:42] Iran is in the process of their of of [25:45] changing of backing away from the [25:47] nuclear uh from the official doctrine of [25:49] uh of Ali Kamay and they are publicly [25:52] putting out there a justification not [25:54] for a domestic nuclear energy program. [25:56] That's not what this article was saying. [25:57] This article was saying, think about the [25:58] deterrence line. This article was saying [26:00] that we need to have nuclear weapons and [26:03] they're putting it out there in their [26:04] own state media. Um, this is serious. [26:08] This is serious. And you know, the clock [26:10] is ticking. We need to keep uh we need [26:12] to keep an eye on this. And I'll be [26:13] bringing you more updates as we have [26:15] them. God bless. Thanks for watching the [26:17] channel. Please share this video with [26:19] somebody who you think might find it [26:21] interesting or helpful. And I appreciate [26:23] all of your help and helping grow the [26:25] channel. It's really been remarkable. [26:27] And God bless you all.
