Iran May Withdraw From Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Report

Tehran: With the war raging in the Middle East, Tehran may be weighing options to withdraw from the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Tehran Times said in a recent report, citing Iranian Foreign Minister.

Several reports have pointed out that several government bodies in Iran, including the parliament, are "urgently" looking for withdrawal, the Tasnim News Agency reported.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the national security commission of parliament, said that it would be meaningless for Iran to remain as a signatory to the treaty as it allegedly “has had no benefit" for the nation, he said in a post on X. As per reports, Malek Shariati, a representative from Tehran, said that a priority piece of legislation has been uploaded in an online parliamentary portal.

Shariati mentioned that this legislation would withdraw Iran from the NPT, revoke the law that adopted nuclear restrictions linked with the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, and also support a new international treaty on developing nuclear technologies. 

Notably, when the law is approved by the parliament, it needs to be agreed by the 12-member Guardian Council, before it gets implemented. Authorities in Iran accuse the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of taking a partial stance and not acting against attacks against Iranian nuclear sites.

Does Iran Possess Nuclear Weapons?

When Iran and the US were negotiating, before the February 28 attacks, the Middle Eastern country's delegation had stated in those talks that it has fissile material enriched up to 60%. Enriching it up to weapons' grade, which is 90% or higher, would take weeks, geopolitical experts had pointed out. It is against this context, that the US and its ally, Israel got threatened of Iran's nuclear capabilities and started the war, they say.

Earlier, the US carried out bombings on Iran's nuclear facilities using its B-2 bombers; however several critics have doubted the efficacy of those strikes.

The allied powers had expressed deep skepticism about Iran's nuclear capabilites. It had also imposed crippling sanctions on the nation after the Iran nuclear deal fell through, when Trump unilaterally withdrew from it. 

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