Tehran Says No Changes Made to Iran's Nuclear Doctrine

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran has not made any changes to its nuclear doctrine, with the country's position on the matter expressed by its leadership more than once, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday.

Last week, the head of the Iranian Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Seyed Kamal Kharrazi, told Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera that Tehran did not plan to build an atomic bomb. However, if the country's existence is threatened, the Iranian authorities will be forced to change their doctrine, he added.

"Iran's official position on weapons of mass destruction has more than once been voiced by Iran's top leadership, and no changes have been made to Iran's nuclear doctrine," Kanaani was quoted by Iranian state-run IRNA news agency as saying.

In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the involvement of the European Union. The deal committed Iran to scaling back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The US withdrew from the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump but resumed talks with Iran in a bid to revive the deal under incumbent President Joe Biden. The talks have since hit a deadlock.

Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is solely intended for peaceful purposes.