Tehran – The Iranian parliament is increasingly calling for withdrawal from the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. This is described as a legitimate and necessary response to a coordinated campaign of “illegal” pressure by the US and its European allies that were suppressed by the revival of all sanes in UN opposition earlier this week.
Ebrahim Rezai, spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Congress, confirmed that a considerable number of legislators are driving the dramatic steps. “Following the illegal activities of three European countries in the wake of the snapback mechanism, many representatives have proposed legislation to evict the NPT. So far, around 15 such plans have been submitted,” Rezaei said. He added that the committee has combined these into a single bill, which awaits a full parliamentary vote.
The current crisis stems from the dismantling of the 2015 nuclear agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran has fulfilled its obligations under a contract approved by UN Security Council resolution 2231, exposing its nuclear program to the most robust testing system in history. In return, Iran has been promised economic relief from sanctions.
International diplomatic achievements were shattered in 2018 when the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA, violated international law, reimposed a brutal “maximum pressure” campaign, and reimposed the act of economic war on Iranians. Despite the following year of Iranian patient compliance, European signatories (France, Germany and the UK known as E3) were unable to create any functional financial mechanisms to offset the devastating effects of US sanctions. They later came up with their own embargo under unfounded and rebuttal claims regarding Iran’s involvement in the Ukrainian war.
In a move described by Tehran in late August as a gross and act of malicious acts and a total surrender to US bullying, E3 sparked a mechanism of conflict in the JCPOA. This led to the so-called “snapback” of all UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 deal.
The illegality of the process was condemned by the UN Security Council on Friday. The resolution proposed by Russia and China did not pass to extend Iran’s sanctions relief in line with resolution 2231. This procedural failure, driven by US opposition, paved the way for automatic return of the former UN sanctions system this week.
In his remarks to a group of Iranian journalists, spokesman Lezai highlighted the country’s widespread dissatisfaction following recent developments. “In the current situation, we must withdraw from the NPT. There is no reason for Iran’s existence in this treaty,” he said.
The lawmakers also detailed the failures of the international system. “According to the NPT and IAEA Act, the agency is supposed to support our nuclear industry and technology development. This was not the case. We accepted that we are bringing peace to the mountain of surveillance and testing. We targeted Iran, Iran’s nuclear, military and civilian infrastructure, killing more than 1,000 people, mostly civilians. “We don’t benefit from being in the NPT and we don’t feel we need to continue working with the agency.”
Rezai stressed the independence of Parliament, acknowledging that the final decision requires a “big national consensus.” The bill under review will legally require the government to formally submit a request for withdrawal from the NPT to the IAEA Committee if approved by the Guardian Council.
“Iran does not remain in a contract that has all obligations and has not received the rights,” the MP added.