Iranian Lawmakers Submit Bill Seeking NPT Withdrawal

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian lawmakers have submitted a bill seeking the Islamic Republic’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT], as pressure over Tehran’s civilian nuclear program intensifies following a recent International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] decision.

The bill was submitted to the Parliament’s Presiding Board with a triple-urgency designation, lawmaker Hossein-Ali Haji Deligani said during an open parliamentary session Sunday. The proposal is now awaiting approval from Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf before it can be brought forward for debate.

“Given the circumstances facing the country and the aggression that the enemy has launched against us on two occasions, remaining in the NPT brings us nothing but losses,” Haji Deligani said.

He argued that Tehran should reconsider its obligations under the treaty in response to what Iranian officials describe as escalating military and political pressure.

“It seems that we may need to withdraw from the NPT so that we can manage our own affairs ourselves,” he added.

The parliamentary move follows a September decision by the IAEA Board of Governors to refer Iran’s nuclear file to the UN Security Council over what the agency claimed was "failures to comply with its safeguards obligations".

The 35-member board adopted the resolution with 23 votes in favor, while Russia, China and Niger opposed it. The decision marked the first time in two decades that the IAEA board had taken such a step against Iran. Tehran has rejected the allegations and described the move as politically motivated.

Iranian officials have also mentioned that US-“Israeli” hostilities on Iranian civilian nuclear facilities have severely disrupted the conditions required for normal IAEA safeguards cooperation.

China has said the attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities operating under IAEA safeguards created serious obstacles to cooperation and dealt a severe blow to the international non-proliferation framework.

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, said Saturday that Tehran remains committed to its policy of non-weaponization.

At the same time, he warned that withdrawal from the NPT remains a possible response to military and political threats from the United States and "Israel".

The latest parliamentary initiative therefore comes as Tehran weighs whether continued participation in the treaty serves its interests under intensified international pressure.