Between July 13 and July 17, 2022, former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Larijani, who currently serves as a senior advisor to Iran's Chief Justice and who has also served as the head of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, appeared in various TV interviews and discussed Iran's nuclear program. In a July 13, 2022 interview on Ofogh TV (Iran), Larijani said that the West is interested in the JCPOA because it would weaken Iran's nuclear capabilities. He also said that the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is "dead", and that Israel, India, and Pakistan are better off for not joining it.
In a July 17, 2022 interview on IRINN TV (Iran), Larijani spoke about U.S. President Joe Biden's pledge to Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid that America will prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and he said that even though Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa opposing weapons of mass destruction (see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 9938), nobody would be able to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons if it wanted to. He said that Iran's nuclear knowledge and technology "are the pride of the Islamic world", and that they cannot be destroyed. For more about Larijani, see MEMRI TV Clips Nos. 8986, 8482, 8247, 7611, 7604, 7299, 6622, 1456, and 1168.
To view the clip of former Iranian Deputy FM Mohammad-Javad Larijani, click here or below:
The Non-Proliferation Treaty Is Dead; "A Document Is Alive Only [When] It Is Implemented"
Mohammad-Javad Larijani: "The Westerners' interest in the JCPOA stems from their belief that it would pull out our atomic teeth, weaken us, and diminish our capabilities. [The way they see it], if one day, we decided to build a nuclear bomb, the [JCPOA] would delay us for over a year, and since this is a long process, the [JCPOA] would gradually disband the teams, since members would grow old, and their replacements would be blocked. In general, the entire nuclear business would become a pointless luxury, and we would abandon it.
[...]
"The NPT is a dead document. It is phrased really well, but it includes all kinds of obscure issues..."
Host: "Why do you say it is dead?"
Larijani: "Because a document is alive [only] when it is implemented. What kind of a document is it if non-signatory [states] are more comfortable [than signatory states]? The Zionist regime, India, and Pakistan have not joined the NPT, and the countries that have signed it have problems. What kind of a deterrent non-proliferation document is this? It is not a [deterrent]. This document is dead, and we are mourning next to a dead man's coffin. If the Americans play too many childish games, there is no reason for us to keep our commitment to the NPT as they are, because it is a dead document and there is nothing special about it.
[...]
"Our Nuclear Capabilities — Our Access To Nuclear-Related Knowledge And Technology — Are The Pride Of The Islamic World"
"During Mr. Biden's visit to the Zionist regime, they signed some document and took an oath together that they would not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Naturally, according to the Leader's fatwa, we are religiously forbidden from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, and this includes nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, if we ever want to do this, nobody will be able to stop us, of course. They themselves know this.
[...]
"Our nuclear capabilities – our access to nuclear-related knowledge and technology – are the pride of the Islamic world. It is a very deeply-rooted< matter. I believe that the slowdown during the JCPOA period will be reverted quickly. Such capability cannot be destroyed with bombardments."
