Iran says Parliament is preparing Bill to leave nuclear non-proliferation treaty
Iran's state media said that no decision on quitting the treaty had yet been made by Parliament. PHOTO: REUTERS
DUBAI – Iranian parliamentarians are preparing a Bill that could push Tehran towards exiting the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), the Foreign Ministry said on June 16, while reiterating Tehran's official stance against developing nuclear weapons.
'In the light of recent developments, we will take an appropriate decision. Government has to enforce Parliament Bills, but such a proposal is just being prepared, and we will coordinate in the later stages with Parliament,' the ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, when asked at a press conference about Tehran potentially leaving the NPT.
The NPT, which Iran ratified in 1970, guarantees countries the right to pursue civilian nuclear power in return for requiring them to forgo atomic weapons and cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Israel began bombing Iran last week, saying Tehran was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb.
Iran has always said its nuclear programme is peaceful, although the IAEA declared last week that Tehran was in violation of its NPT obligations.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated on June 16 that nuclear weapons were against a religious edict by the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian state media said no decision on quitting the NPT had yet been made by Parliament, while a parliamentarian said the proposal was at the initial stages of the legal process.
Mr Baghaei said developments such as Israel's attack 'naturally affect the strategic decisions of the state', noting that Israel's attack had followed the IAEA resolution, which he suggested was to blame.
'Those voting for the resolution prepared the ground for the attack,' Mr Baghaei said.
Israel, which never joined the NPT, is widely assumed by regional governments to possess nuclear weapons, although it does not confirm or deny this.
'The Zionist regime is the only possessor of weapons of mass destruction in the region,' Mr Baghaei said. REUTERS
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What is the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?
An IAEA flag flutters in front of the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl Iran said on Monday its parliament was preparing a bill that could push the Islamic Republic towards exiting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel began military strikes on Iran on June 13, citing concerns over its nuclear programme, one day after the U.N. nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors declared Tehran in breach of its obligations under the NPT. Iran, which denies trying to develop nuclear arms, has fired missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel's strikes. Below are some key facts about the treaty. PURPOSE OF THE NPT The objective of the treaty, which took effect in 1970, is to halt the spread of nuclear weapons-making capability, guarantee the right of all members to develop nuclear energy for peaceful ends and - for the original five nuclear weapons powers - to phase out their arsenals. The treaty defines nuclear-armed states as those that 'manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear device prior to January 1, 1967. They are the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, which assumed rights and obligations from the former Soviet Union. Those five nations are the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. SIGNATORIES A total of 191 countries are party to the NPT. Nuclear weapons states agree not to transfer those weapons or to help non-nuclear states obtain them. NON-SIGNATORIES: Two non-signatories, India and Pakistan, developed nuclear weapons. Another, Israel, is widely assumed to have a nuclear arsenal but has not confirmed or denied it publicly. North Korea signed the treaty in 1985 but announced its withdrawal in 2003 after U.S. officials confronted it with evidence they said pointed to a covert enrichment program. After a rapprochement, North Korea expelled IAEA inspectors again in 2009, and they have not returned since. ESCAPE CLAUSE The treaty is divided into 11 articles, including one that enables a state to withdraw '"if it decides that extraordinary events ... have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country". A state must give three months' notice to other treaty members and the U.N. Security Council. TREATY REVIEWS States that are party to the NPT meet to review it every five years. The next review conference is due to be held in 2026. IRAN Iran has been a non-nuclear-weapon signatory to the NPT since 1970. It has a uranium enrichment program that it says is for peaceful purposes, not developing weapons, but Western powers and Israel suspect it intends to develop the means to make atomic bombs. The declaration by the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors on June 13 that Iran is in breach of its non-proliferation obligations was the first such decision in almost 20 years and followed a damning report that the IAEA sent to member states on May 31. The resolution adopted by the board cited Tehran's "many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran". ISSUES OF CONCERN A central issue of concern for the IAEA is Iran's failure to provide credible explanations of how uranium traces detected atundeclared sites in Iran came to be there despite the agencyhaving investigated the issue for years. The IAEA believes they mostly point to activities carried out more than 20 years ago. Iran's foreign ministry and atomic energy organisation said in response that the Islamic Republic had always adhered to its safeguards obligations. They said the IAEA's findings were politically motivated and lacked technical or legal foundation. Asked at a press conference about Tehran potentially leaving the NPT, a foreign ministry spokesperson reiterated Tehran's official stance against developing nuclear weapons but said: "In light of recent developments, we will take an appropriate decision. Government has to enforce parliament bills but such a proposal is just being prepared and we will coordinate in the later stages with parliament." NUCLEAR SANCTIONS Sanctions were imposed on Iran in 2006 after it failed to comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding a halt to its uranium enrichment programme. Iran agreed to restrain its nuclear program, while still enriching to a low level, in return for relief from economic sanctions under a deal reached with six major powers in 2015, but President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement in 2018, reimposing U.S. sanctions. Iran subsequently retaliated by ramping up its nuclear programme, abandoning the restrictions imposed by the deal. Iran and the United States have engaged in indirect talks since April to try to impose fresh restrictions on Iran's atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
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Israel says it is on track for objectives after Iranian missiles hit Israeli cities
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