Iran debating whether to keep nuclear weapons ban if war resumes, security chief says

TEHRAN — Iran is debating whether to keep its longstanding ban on nuclear weapons if hostilities resume, Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei told state media on Saturday, according to Middle East Eye.

Rezaei said no decision has been taken on any change, Middle East Eye reported. The outlet's account does not give further detail on the debate or say who is taking part in it.

The letter from Washington

Rezaei also said the tone of the United States had shifted as it sought to restart negotiations with the Islamic Republic, according to the same report.

US Vice President JD Vance wrote to Rezaei last week in an attempt to revive diplomacy, Middle East Eye said. It cited the New York Times as reporting that Qatari mediators handed the letter to Rezaei. According to that report, the letter proposed direct talks led by Vance, with Iran's nuclear programme on the agenda from the start.

Middle East Eye has not independently confirmed the New York Times account, and the report does not say whether Washington or Doha has commented on it.

Rezaei confirmed he had read the letter but had not replied. "I read the letter. I haven't yet responded. Their tone has completely changed," he said, according to Middle East Eye.

He described the change as "a good sign" and said it showed Iran had "consolidated its victory," the outlet reported. The source does not explain what victory he was referring to.

Rezaei declined to comment further on what the letter contained, according to Middle East Eye. He said the nuclear issue could be discussed only after the United States had met Iran's demands. The report does not list those demands.

Talks and mediation

Middle East Eye reported that indirect mediation between Washington and Tehran through Qatar was continuing. It said Iranian officials had stated earlier on Saturday that they had no plans to meet US officials.

That leaves the two sides communicating through intermediaries, according to the report. Rezaei's comments about a possible response to Vance were not accompanied by a timeline, and the report does not say whether a reply will be sent.

What is not confirmed

The report is based on Rezaei's remarks to state media and on a New York Times account of the letter, as relayed by Middle East Eye. No other official statements were included in the material. It does not say what Iran's formal position on nuclear weapons is, what form any change might take, or under what conditions hostilities would resume.

The report also gives no indication of which officials in Iran would decide on a change to the ban. Rezaei said only that the matter was being debated and that no decision had been made.

Background

Middle East Eye described the ban as longstanding. Its report framed Rezaei's comments as coming while indirect contacts through Qatar continued and after the Vance letter was delivered. The outlet did not provide further background on the earlier hostilities or on the state of negotiations before the letter.