Iranian Cleric Says Nuclear Weapons Violate Islamic Law

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center reported this week that a senior cleric in Iran, Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, has issued a fatwa stating that developing and using nuclear weapons are a violation of Muslim religious law. His ruling said that the use of nuclear weapons would lead to the deaths of innocent people and harm future generations. The report says that in the past, other Iranian clerics have issued competing rulings on the issue. In the past, senior Iranian figures have claimed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa (never made public) prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons.