- By Ajeet Kumar
- Thu, 19 Mar 2026 02:36 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Kent denies Iran was ever close to developing nuclear weapons.
- Iran's 2004 religious fatwa bans nuclear weapon development.
- Khamenei's nuclear fatwa's authority questioned after his death.
Was Iran about to get a nuke? Former US National Counterterrorism Centre Director Joe Kent has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim when asked about Iranian nuclear aspirations, as claimed by the American administration to justify the ongoing conflict. In an explosive interview with right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson, Kent, who resigned on Tuesday with a bombshell letter on social media, claimed Tehran was never on the cusp of making nukes, not even before June last year, when the US and Israel claimed to have dismantled the site where nuclear enrichment was on full swing.
Kent's explosive claims on Iran's nuclear aspirations
Kent was the top official in the counterterrorism department, where he reported to intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard. He had categorically rejected Trump’s claim that Tehran poses an imminent threat to the US. In his first public appearance with Carlson, Kent said, “No, they weren't. They weren't in June either.”
Tucker Carlson: Was Iran on the verge of getting a nuclear weapon?
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 19, 2026
Joe Kent: No, they weren't. They weren't in June either.
The Iranians have had a religious ruling, a fatwa, against actually developing a nuclear weapon since 2004. That's been in place since 2004.
That's… pic.twitter.com/dYhuq5UDwo
Kent claims Iran has nuclear fatwa in place
According to Kent, Iran has maintained a religious fatwa against nuclear weapons since 2004, and American intelligence officials had no inputs of Tehran had disobeyed their own ruling. "No. They've had a religious ruling against it since 2004. We had no intelligence that it was being disobeyed,” Kent told Carlson.
“That's available in the public sphere, but then also we had no intelligence to indicate that that fatwa was being disobeyed or it was on the cusp of being lifted,” he said.
“The Iranians are obviously aware of what's taking place in their region. Their strategy was not to completely abandon their nuclear program because they saw what happened to Muammar Gaddafi in Libya when he said, 'Hey, I've got no more nukes, I'll do what you say, I'll give up my nukes,” added Kent.
If Kent's words are to be believed, it would be a complete lie that Trump has spread for the past year. Kent also claimed it was Israel’s war and America should exit.
What is Iran’s nuclear fatwa?
According to IranWire, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former Supreme Leader, once issued a religious ruling called a fatwa. He had banned the making, storing, and using of nuclear weapons. For more than 20 years, Iranian officials used this fatwa to tell the world that Iran’s nuclear program was only for peaceful purposes like energy.
Is a fatwa a rule to follow by the government?
Importantly, the fatwa was never turned into an official government law or decree. It was only a personal religious opinion. As a result, government departments and the state are not legally or religiously forced to follow it anymore.
What happens to Khamenei’s nuclear fatwa after his death?
But now, after Khamenei’s death, many people are asking: Does this ban still matter? People follow the rulings of a living Marja they choose to emulate. When that cleric dies, his authority usually ends. New followers are expected to turn to a living cleric instead.
Khamenei himself once said that people should not follow a dead cleric if a qualified living one is available. Because of this rule, his nuclear fatwa no longer has strong religious power for most Iranians after his death.
Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has become the new Supreme Leader. In his first official letter after taking power, he made no mention of the nuclear program or his father’s fatwa. He neither supported it nor rejected it. It is not clear whether Iran would follow the two-decade-old fatwa or restart the dangerous project.