(JNS.org) There is no evidence documenting the claim by President Obama that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against the development of nuclear weapons, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). “I do believe that there is a basis for resolution. Iran’s supreme leader has issued a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons,” Obama said during a White House press conference on Sept. 27, following a call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. But MEMRI, in a report issued Sept. 30, said that it has never found evidence confirming the fatwa. MEMRI claims that the fatwa is an eight-year-old hoax perpetrated by Iranian diplomats and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In July, MEMRI issued a detailed list documenting 493 fatwas by Ayatollah Khamenei dating back to 2004.