Iran Threatens to Withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

SadaNews - The Iranian parliament discussed today, Sunday, the withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in response to the re-implementation of sanctions on Tehran, which Foreign Minister Abas Araqchi called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to prevent.

The Iranian news agency "IRNA" reported that the Iranian parliament held a closed session at the request of several members to discuss internal issues, primarily the return of UN sanctions.

The "Noor News" website indicated that there are unconfirmed reports suggesting that the parliament is considering the issue of withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, emphasizing that the country is not obligated to implement those decisions.

The Iranian parliament speaker warned that "any action taken against Iran based on these decisions will be met with a strong response." He added that Western countries "conditioned negotiations with Washington and allowing IAEA inspectors to enter Iranian nuclear facilities to extend the snapback mechanism."

Qalibaf stated, without going into details, "We declare that if any country wants to take action against Iran based on these illegal decisions, it will face a firm reaction from Iran, and the three European countries that initiated this illegal action will also face our response."

In a statement to the Young Journalists Club, affiliated with Iranian state television, before the session, MP Ismail Qathari stated that the parliament will discuss withdrawing from the nuclear treaty. He said, "The parliament will discuss these issues and make a decision regarding them."

When asked by the Young Journalists Club whether Iran's withdrawal from the treaty means moving forward with building a bomb, Qathari responded: "No, that does not mean that. This matter will be discussed separately later, and we can include it on the agenda if necessary."

For his part, Foreign Minister Abas Araqchi, in a message to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stated that the actions of the European Troika and the United States in reinstating the cancelled Security Council resolutions against Iran are "illegal."

In his message, he added that "the three European countries, through violating their obligations under the nuclear agreement and Resolution 2231, and relying on the snapback mechanism of the cancelled sanctions, are blatantly exploiting the expected process in the nuclear agreement."

He also considered that the draft resolution submitted by the President of the Security Council on September 19 for voting "does not meet the requirements of Resolution 2231 and cannot reinstate sanctions that have already been lifted," adding that the actions of the three European countries and the USA to reinstate the cancelled sanctions lack credibility.

According to what was stated in the message, "the implementation of Resolution 2231 should be concluded as agreed, and all restrictions related to the nuclear file under Resolution 2231 will permanently expire on October 18, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will not recognize any attempt to renew, activate, or enforce these decisions after this date."

He continued, "Accordingly, the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly rejects the reinstatement of the cancelled decisions under Resolution 2231 of 2015, and neither Iran nor any UN member state is obligated to comply with such illegal measures."

Araqchi urged Guterres to prevent any attempt to activate sanction mechanisms, including the Sanctions Committee and the experts' delegation, and not to allocate any UN resources for such illegal measures or use them to support these actions.

According to Araqchi, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has always shown its willingness for diplomacy aimed at reaching a fair, balanced, and sustainable solution. Unfortunately, the three European countries and the United States have chosen the path of confrontation, thinking that Iran will succumb to pressure and intimidation. History has proven this assumption to be false and will prove it again."

The Iranian minister also confirmed that his country "will continue to firmly defend its sovereign rights and interests, and any attempt to harm Iran will be met with appropriate responses. The responsibility for this lies with the parties that preferred confrontation and pressure over cooperation."

Araqchi concluded his message to Guterres by saying: "Based on your sense of responsibility, we expect you to ensure that some Western governments acting outside the law and driven by narrow political motives do not exploit the UN Secretariat to exert political pressure on Iran. Such exploitation undermines the credibility of the United Nations and its neutrality and weakens the authority of the Security Council."

In a previous statement to Iranian state television before the sanctions were imposed last night, Araqchi sought to downplay the impact of the UN sanctions on the country.

He said, "It will have some damages and some losses for us, however, they have portrayed it in their media as something significantly greater than it actually is, and they have sought to create a monster to scare the Iranian people, then force our government and foreign policy to make concessions and pay a price in this regard."

For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the European Troika for its "decisive global leadership" in imposing sanctions on Iran, adding that "diplomacy remains an option. For that to happen, Iran must accept direct talks."