A resurfaced 2022 interview with former Iranian parliament deputy speaker Ali Motahari has intensified debate over Iran’s nuclear ambitions amid the current United States and Israeli military campaign. In the interview, Motahari openly stated that Iran’s original goal in launching its nuclear program was to build a bomb, describing it as a deterrent rather than a weapon intended for use. He said the effort was broadly supported within the regime but ultimately failed because the activities could not remain secret.

The remarks contradict Iran’s longstanding public position that it never sought nuclear weapons. Motahari said the plan unraveled after opposition groups exposed classified elements of the program in the early 2000s. He also noted that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei opposed building a bomb on religious grounds, calling it forbidden. Khamenei was later killed in joint United States and Israeli strikes in Tehran.

Details surrounding the earlier weapons effort included research into warhead design, explosives testing and efforts to integrate a nuclear device with ballistic missiles. Although the formal weapons program was halted, international inspectors later reported continued simulations and expanding uranium enrichment capacity. Over time, Iran accumulated significant quantities of enriched uranium, at levels that experts warned could shorten the timeline to weapons-grade material.

After the collapse of a 2015 nuclear agreement that had restricted enrichment and centrifuge use, Iran exceeded previous limits and was eventually declared in breach of its non-proliferation obligations in 2025. Israel launched strikes on nuclear and military facilities shortly afterward, followed by joint attacks ordered by President Donald Trump in 2026. Trump said the campaign aims to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and ensure it can never obtain a nuclear weapon.