Iran has claimed it has mobilised more than one million fighters as its new hardline government considers building a nuclear weapon.

The move comes as President Donald Trump prepares for a possible ground invasion and has paused strikes on Iranian energy plants for 10 days.

Iran eyes exit from nuclear treaty

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps now dominates Tehran after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict. State media reported that officials are weighing a public push for a nuclear bomb, ending years of denial.

As reported by the Daily Mail on Thursday, March 26th, Iran is also considering leaving the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Hardline politician Mohammad Javad Larijani told state media:

“The NPT should be suspended. We should form a committee to assess whether the NPT is of any use to us at all. If it proves useful, we will return to it. If not, they can keep it.”

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Conservative commentator Nasser Torabi said on state television that the public wanted action. “We need to act in order to build a nuclear weapon. Either we build it or we acquire it,” he said.

Western intelligence has stated for years that Iran has been enriching uranium in secret. The regime previously said nuclear weapons were forbidden under Islam. Relentless US and Israeli strikes have changed that position, according to sources cited by Reuters.

One million fighters on standby

Iranian state media said the fighters are ready to defend against a US ground operation aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The strait carries about one fifth of the world’s oil.

Trump has threatened to seize Kharg Island, a key oil hub that controls access to the waterway. Iran has responded by laying anti-personnel and anti-armor mines along likely landing sites on the island.

The Pentagon has ordered about 2,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. They will join roughly 4,500 Marines already heading to the region. US officials have warned that any ground operation would risk high American casualties.

Trump pauses strikes as talks stall

On Thursday Trump posted on Truth Social that he was extending his deadline to avoid striking Iranian energy plants. He wrote that talks were “going very well” and set a new cutoff for Monday, April 6, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

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Iran rejected a US ceasefire proposal that would require it to scrap its nuclear and long-range missile programmes, reopen the strait and cut ties with proxy groups.

Instead Tehran demanded the closure of all US bases in the Gulf, payment of reparations and an end to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iranian officials also want to control the strait and charge transit fees on oil tankers.

Why this matters

The confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz directly affects global oil supplies and shipping costs. Any closure or attack on the waterway would raise fuel prices worldwide and disrupt energy markets for months.

A nuclear-armed Iran would change the balance of power in the Middle East and increase the risk of wider conflict involving the United States, Israel and Gulf states. With troops already moving and both sides digging in, the window for a diplomatic deal is narrowing fast.