LONDON: The former head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization has revealed that Tehran鈥檚 nuclear program has military objectives, in the clearest admission to date of Iran鈥檚 nuclear bomb ambitions.

In an interview with state media, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, former head of the IAEO, admitted to the existence of a 鈥渟ystem鈥� with military capabilities.

The existence of a military research branch within Iran鈥檚 nuclear program would directly contravene the state line on nuclear weapons.

Officials in Iran often cite a fatwa 鈥� a religious edict 鈥� issued by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei against the development and use of nuclear arms as evidence that they are not pursuing nuclear arms.

However, while discussing the 2020 assassination by Israeli agents of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran鈥檚 top nuclear scientist, Abbasi-Davani suggested that his research was part of a 鈥渟ystem鈥� that had become a military threat to Israel.

鈥淲hen the country鈥檚 all-encompassing growth began involving satellites, missiles and nuclear weapons, and surmounted new boundaries of knowledge, the issue became more serious for them,鈥� Abbasi-Davani said.

While the individual elements of Iran鈥檚 nuclear program did not have an overt military use, the existence of that 鈥渟ystem鈥� of research endeavors, such as uranium enrichment, combined with Iran鈥檚 reasonably advanced domestic missile program, is believed to have triggered Fakhrizadeh鈥檚 killing.

But Abbasi-Davani鈥檚 interview, released as Washington and Tehran are set to re-engage in long-running talks over the future of Iran鈥檚 nuclear program, also revealed new information on the strategic goals behind the pursuit of nuclear arms: A nuclear umbrella for its regional proxies.

鈥淎lthough our stance on nuclear weapons based on the supreme leader鈥檚 explicit fatwa regarding nuclear weapons being haram (religiously forbidden) is quite clear, Fakhrizadeh created this system and his concern wasn鈥檛 just the defense of our own country,鈥� Abbasi-Davani said.

He warned: 鈥淥ur country backs the axis of the resistance front (against Israel), and when you enter this realm, the Zionists become sensitive.鈥�

The 鈥渁xis of resistance鈥� refers to Iran鈥檚 network of terrorist organizations and proxy groups, including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and constituent militias of Iraq鈥檚 Popular Mobilization Front.

Ideologically, the groups are opposed to Israel, but they are used in practice to pursue Iranian foreign policy objectives.

Meir Javedanfar, Iran lecturer at Reichman University, told Arab News that Abbasi-Davani鈥檚 admission was of 鈥済rave concern,鈥� particularly because of the reference to a 鈥渟ystem.鈥�

He said: 鈥淭his is unprecedented. Until now, the assumption has been that even if Iran gets a nuclear program, it would only be used to defend Iran and to deter others.

鈥淣ow, based on Abbasi-Davani鈥檚 comments, we know that if Iran gets a nuclear weapon it will be used to defend its proxies in the region. This makes it even more imperative that Iran does not get nuclear weapons.鈥�

He added: 鈥淯sing nuclear weapons to support Iran鈥檚 proxies at the very least would mean providing a protection umbrella for various groups around the region. That would imperil numerous countries in the region, and not just the state of Israel.鈥�

Javedanfar warned: 鈥淭hat could lead, in itself, to a nuclear arms race.鈥�