Special Dispatch - Iran/ Jihad & Terrorism Studies Project
February 17, 2006
No. 1096

Reformist Iranian Internet Daily: A New Fatwa States That Religious Law Does
Not Forbid Use of Nuclear Weapons

On February 16, 2006, the reformist Internet daily Rooz (www.roozonline.com)
reported for the first time that extremist clerics from Qom had issued what
the daily called "a new fatwa," which states that "shari'a does not forbid
the use of nuclear weapons."

The following are excerpts from the Rooz report by Shahram Rafizadeh:(1)

"When the Entire World is Armed With Nuclear Weapons, it is Permissible to
Use These Weapons as a Counter-[Measure]"

"The spiritual leaders of the ultra-conservatives [in Iran] have accepted
the use of nuclear weapons as lawful in the eyes of shari'a. Mohsen
Gharavian, a disciple of [Ayatollah] Mesbah Yazdi [who is Iranian President
Ahmadinejad's spiritual mentor], has spoken for the first time of using
nuclear weapons as a counter-measure. He stated that 'in terms of shari'a,
it all depends on the goal.'

"The religious leadership of the Islamic Republic [of Iran], which has until
now regarded the use of nuclear weapons as opposed to shari'a, and has
repeated this point again and again, has so far kept silent about this. In
spite of the fact that, in the last few weeks, some of the senior [leaders]
of the Islamic Republic have tried to reduce the pressure [exerted by] the
radical [conservatives], the radicals nevertheless seem to have complete
control over the [political] arena.

"[Iranian National Security Council Secretary] Ali Larijani, who is in
charge of the nuclear dossier, has spoken to reporters only once since the
[IAEA] Board of Governors approved its resolution - and his silence is
significant.(2) But yesterday, the IraNews news agency published recent
remarks by Mohsen Gharavian regarding the nuclear issue. Gharavian is a
lecturer at the religious schools of Qom, and is a disciple of [Ayatollah]
Mesbah Yazdi. In his recent remarks, he said for the first time that the use
of nuclear weapons may not constitute a problem according to shari'a. He
further said that 'when the entire world is armed with nuclear weapons, it
is permissible to use these weapons as a counter-[measure]. According to
shari'a, too, only the goal is important...'

"[Gharavian] said that he sees no problem with the military use of nuclear
weapons [sic]: 'One must say that when the entire world is armed with
nuclear weapons, it is only natural that, as a counter-measure, it is
necessary to be able to use these weapons. However, what is important is
what goal they may be used for."

"The Ultra-[Conservatives] in Iran Have Launched a New Effort to Prepare the
Religious Grounds for Use of These Weapons"

"This cleric, who is close to the government, also referred to the nuclear
talks and to the future phases of the negotiations. He called the
'reporting' - rather than 'referring' - of the Iranian nuclear dossier [to
the Security Council] playing with semantics, and said: 'The main goal of
the West has been to put pressure on the Islamic Republic regime of Iran in
order to generate fear. However, we will wait [to see] the future behavior
of Europe and America, and then make the best decision.'

"Gharavian's statement is the first public statement by the Mesbah Yazdi
group on the nuclear issue. Until now, none of the top-ranking religious
[leaders] have authorized, on religious grounds, the use of nuclear weapons.
But now it seems that the ultra-[conservatives] in Iran have launched a new
effort to prepare the religious grounds for use of these weapons..."

"Mr. Ahmadinejad Has Managed to Take the Place of Bin Laden"

"Within the six months [of Ahmadinejad's presidency], all the achievements
of former president Khatami in the international arena have been lost.
Through strange proposals and radical approaches, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
managed, in a very short time, to get the world to forget all about bin
Laden. Now all eyes are on the Islamic Republic, and everyone is talking
about the danger it [poses]. Two weeks ago, the strategy of assaulting
[foreign] embassies was formed as well. America regards Iran and Syria as
being behind the recent violent incidents, including the setting fire to
embassies in Islamic countries. Mr. Ahmadinejad has managed to take the
place of bin Laden..."

Endnotes:
(1) http://r0ozonline.com/01newsstory/014094.shtml . It should be noted that
the daily is posted from outside Iran, and is available in Internet format
only.
(2) MEMRI TV Clip No.1029:
http://switch5.castup.net/frames/20041020_MemriTV_Popup/video_480x360.asp?ai=214&ar=1029wmv&ak=null .

*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle
East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background
information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Search previous MEMRI publications at www.memri.org