Iran weighs nuclear policy shift after U.S. attacks, security chief warns of public pressure
Iran’s national security council secretary says Tehran remains in the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty but faces rising domestic calls to change its nuclear policy after U.S. attacks on its facilities, even as President Trump claims American forces have destroyed much of Iran’s military capability.
Iran’s leadership is openly debating how U.S. military action should shape its nuclear policy, according to a senior official who says public pressure for change is mounting after strikes on Iranian facilities.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Iranian media that the country remains a member of the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and intends to defend what it sees as its nuclear rights. He said that in the wake of U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, there are growing calls inside Iran for a shift in nuclear policy. Rezaei stressed that no official decision has been taken.
His remarks coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that American forces have destroyed much of Iran’s military capability but left up to two targets. Trump said one remaining site is known as Pickaxe Mountain and is suspected of housing a nuclear facility.
For Iranians, attacks on nuclear‑linked sites raise immediate concerns about safety, the risk of contamination and the prospect of a wider conflict that could hit infrastructure well beyond the initial targets. The sense that key installations are vulnerable can fuel demands for stronger deterrence.
Regional governments, especially in the Gulf and Israel, closely track such statements from figures like Rezaei. Any sign that Tehran might adjust its nuclear posture after being struck is seen as a direct security issue, with implications for enrichment levels, transparency and the pace of nuclear work.
Rezaei’s insistence that Iran is still inside the NPT keeps Tehran, for now, within a framework intended to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. Remaining in the treaty preserves channels for other governments to engage over Iran’s civilian program and inspections.
What happens next will depend on whether Iranian officials move from signalling and public debate to concrete steps, such as changes in declared nuclear activities, and how Washington defines or targets the remaining sites Trump mentioned. Reactions from regional states and major powers will help determine whether the current tension hardens into a lasting shift in Iran’s nuclear stance or is contained through diplomacy and pressure.
Sources
- OSINT