A Cornered Iran May Need to Build a Nuclear Bomb

Iran is at the crossroads of what may be the most consequential decision in its 45-year history.

Iranian officials, lawmakers and experts are openly discussing the prospect of revising the country's nuclear doctrine.

Such a move has long been forbidden by fatwa , an Islamic legal ruling issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .

Iran 's nuclear doctrine is based on the concept of forward defense, whose pillar is asymmetric deterrence.

Analyst: "There has been an increase in the mentions by current or former Iranian officials to the possibility, and more recently, the necessity, actually, to revise the nuclear doctrine and go for weaponization" The tensions have prompted new discussions in support of a doctrinal shift in Iran .

Iran -backed Shiite Muslim militias would go on to clash with both U.S. troops and Sunni Muslim militant groups such as Al-Qaeda .

The effectiveness of what would come to be known as the "Axis of Resistance " was demonstrated a decade ago in response to the rise of the Islamic State militant group ( ISIS ) in Iraq and Syria .

Today , emboldened by the war in Gaza , Israel has expressed a determination to break the "ring of fire".