Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Esmail Baghaei has disclosed that the Iranian parliament is working on legislation to abandon the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
He added, however, that Tehran remains opposed to developing of weapons of mass destruction.
“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.”
Esmail Bagheri
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is an international treaty aiming to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The treaty calls on countries to cooperate for peaceful uses of nuclear energy and work towards nuclear disarmament.
The treaty, which was signed in 1968 and came into effect in 1970, bans signatories other than the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France from acquiring nuclear weapons – in return for allowing them to pursue peaceful nuclear programmes for power generation, overseen by the UN.
Iran has gradually stepped back from its obligations under the accord after US President Donald Trump quit the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, and reimposed crushing sanctions that have severely harmed the Iranian economy.
Israel began bombing Iran last week, saying Tehran was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb. Iran has always said its nuclear program is peaceful, although the IAEA declared last week that Tehran was in violation of its NPT obligations.
Iran’s state media said that no decision on quitting the NPT had yet been made by parliament, while a parliamentarian said that the proposal was at the initial stages of the legal process.
Baghaei said that 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,” 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,” Baghaei asserted.
Iran Calls for Action
In a news conference, Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that all the member states of the United Nations must act as tensions with Israel escalate. “It is time for the Security Council to take the necessary measures; enough with words, it is time for action,” he said.
“The predator cannot be put on equal footing with the victim. You cannot continue to adopt dual standards.They [Israeli forces] targeted residential areas. They targeted peaceful nuclear facilities in Isfahan and other areas in utter violation of international law, international practices and norms.
“It is the Zionist enemy that initiated this belligerence, assassinating our scientists and killing innocent civilians in their homes.”
Esmail Baghaei
The Spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry stressed that the Israeli attacks on Iran are not a war against the country but “against humanity.”
“It is a belligerence initiated by a criminal group, defying the international community and international law. All those who believe in the peaceful co-living and all those who believe in the international law are required to take action, to put an end to these brutal, ruthless crimes, to pressure this Zionist entity and bring it to account.”
Esmail Baghaei
Baghaei also called on “friendly countries” to step up their efforts for the passing of a binding resolution against Israel. “This is the first step to begin with, it must be declared to the whole world, it is a baseless belligerence,” he said, reiterating that Israel’s actions are “an utter violation” of international law.
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