In the first official confirmation of what’s always been assumed, an Iranian official has admitted his country was attempting to get their hands on nuclear weapons.

General Mohsen Rafiqdoost, a founder of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, told an Iranian news outlet on Saturday that they had pursued ways to gain nuclear arms.  He said that when he approached Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini about the project, he said the Imam told him “do not pursue atoms” and he stopped the plan.

However, a letter that was shown from the 1980s showed that Khomeini had later approved of seeking the weapons.

Gen. Rafiqdoost was the first minister of the Revolutionary Guard and was tasked with obtaining weapons for the country on the black market.

Iran is refusing to dismantle centrifuges that could produce material for nuclear weapons claiming it is not part of the recently implemented temporary deal with western world powers.