Updated

Al-Monitor reported that Iran's nuclear debate is entering a consequential phase after the war with the United States, which exposed limits of Tehran's deterrence strategy. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's death has removed the religious authority most associated with Iran's prohibition on nuclear arms, creating room to challenge that doctrine. The clearest sign of a shift came when the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that appoints and supervises the supreme leader, called for a review of the defense doctrine and consideration of withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It described withdrawal and stronger deterrence as an "unavoidable necessity" and a "national demand," and asked the Foreign Ministry to convey Tehran's position to neighboring countries. Al-Monitor noted that the assembly framed reconsidering commitments as an obligation driven by security needs rather than as one option among responses to outside pressure. The piece is an analysis, not a report of a new official decision or timeline.