As recently as 4 June, Khamenei spoke of the incompatibility of nuclear weapons with Iranians' religious beliefs, stressing that "the Iranian people and their officials have declared time and again that the nuclear weapon is religiously forbidden […] in Islam and they do not have such a weapon," reports Crossick.
Paradoxically, these assurances seem to have been ignored by Western politicians and media, notes Crossick, which leaves him to wonder if there is "any justification not take Khamenei's word as seriously as the Pope".
According to Crossick, "the Iranian régime derives its legitimacy from its fidelity to Islam," leaving the EPC founding chair to ponder why the Supreme Leader would "continue to declare that nuclear weapons are un-Islamic if Iran intends to develop them".
