A man prints a poster bearing a portrait of Mojtaba Khamenei at a religious market in Tehran, Iran. [Getty Images]
A man prints a poster bearing a portrait of Mojtaba Khamenei at a religious market in Tehran, Iran. [Getty Images]

Hardliners in Iran have argued that the country must acquire nuclear weapons to negotiate with the United States on equal footing.

Fars News Agency, a semi-official outlet that voices Iran's conservative hardline faction, said in a commentary Sunday that Iran "must secure nuclear deterrence" to achieve the peace and stability it needs.

The outlet argued that Iran should follow the same path as China, noting that after Beijing successfully tested an atomic bomb in the mid-1960s, the United States began making secret overtures to China.

The implication was that Iran could only negotiate as an equal with Washington if it possessed nuclear weapons.

The argument, however, runs directly counter to a clause in the memorandum of understanding the United States and Iran signed, which states that Iran will not acquire or develop nuclear weapons.

Fars News Agency is widely believed to have ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Nuclear arms talk seen as bid to strengthen bargaining position

Meanwhile, the United States and Iran have agreed to halt armed conflict over the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations, but a fundamental disagreement over control of the waterway remains unresolved.

According to foreign media reports compiled Saturday, the two sides agreed to end a cycle of attacks and retaliatory strikes in the Strait of Hormuz that had been ongoing since June 25, and to resume talks.

The two sides are set to meet Monday in Doha, the capital of Qatar — a key mediator — to attempt to resolve the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz.

The agreement salvaged the memorandum of understanding both sides signed on June 17, which had been at risk of becoming void.

Iran needs time to ease the economic hardship worsened by its war with the United States and Israel and to reorganize its society. The Trump administration, for its part, faces pressure to bring down high inflation driven by the Middle East conflict ahead of the November midterm elections.

Experts believe the agreement may reduce tensions temporarily, but the standoff will continue.

Iran continues to assert exclusive authority over the strait's management, while the United States maintains that such a claim is unacceptable under international law.

Against this backdrop, Fars News Agency's invocation of nuclear armament is seen as a move to secure additional leverage ahead of negotiations.


yul@heraldcorp.com