Iran to Consider Withdrawal from Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Iran’s parliament is drafting a bill that could lead the country to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Foreign Ministry announced on Monday, according to Reuters.

The Ministry added that Tehran remains opposed to the development of weapons of mass destruction.

“In light of recent events, we will make an appropriate decision. The government is obliged to implement the parliament’s decisions, but the bill is still being prepared, and we will coordinate our actions with the parliament in later stages,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated in response to questions about Tehran’s possible withdrawal from the NPT.

The NPT, which Iran ratified in 1970, allows countries to develop civilian nuclear energy in exchange for abandoning nuclear weapons ambitions and cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog.

Israel launched military action against Iran last week, claiming Tehran was close to building a nuclear bomb and posed an existential threat.

Iran has consistently stated that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes. However, the IAEA said last week that Iran is not meeting its NPT obligations.

President Massoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed on Monday that nuclear weapons contradict a religious edict issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian state media reported that parliament has not yet voted on the bill, and one lawmaker said the proposal remains in the early stages of the legislative process.

Although Tehran has long insisted its nuclear program is purely civilian, Israel and most Western governments remain skeptical. Iran has enriched uranium to levels well above what is needed for commercial nuclear energy.

Ultimate authority over Iran’s nuclear policy rests with Supreme Leader Khamenei, whose position Western officials believe is aligned with the pursuit of military capabilities.

In February, The Telegraph cited information from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) — an umbrella group of Iranian dissidents — alleging that Iran is developing a nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of 3,000 km, based on technology provided by North Korea.