Polls suggest a significant minority – 38 percent in a 2010 University of Maryland survey – also think Iran should have The Bomb, even those aligned with the opposition Green Movement. It’s not nearly as clear that religious rulers share that view: Ali Khamenei, who as Supreme Leader has far more power than President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, has repeatedly said religious teachings proscribe weapons of mass destruction, and some of the savviest analysts, including Juan Cole , advise taking the mullah at his word. (Which doesn’t mean the government isn’t working hard to master the technology that could produce a nuclear weapon, as the IAEA reported last week.)
