Iran’s parliament is working on a bill that could lead to Tehran leaving the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, according to the foreign ministry, though officials reiterated the Islamic Republic’s oft-stated opposition to pursuing nuclear weapons.
“In light of recent developments, we will take an appropriate decision. The government must enforce parliament bills, but such a proposal is just being prepared, and we will coordinate in the later stages with parliament,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, when asked about the possibility of Iran withdrawing from the NPT, according to Reuters.
The NPT, which Iran joined in 1970, allows member states to develop nuclear energy for peaceful use but requires them to renounce nuclear arms and cooperate with the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency.
On Friday morning, Israel began a campaign of airstrikes on Iranian targets, warning that the regime was dangerously close to achieving nuclear weapons capability, which the Jewish state considers an existential threat. Despite Iranian claims that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, the IAEA recently determined that Iran is in violation of its treaty obligations.
On Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated the regime’s official position against nuclear arms, referencing a religious decree by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—a claim Israeli officials and Western analysts have long dismissed as a smokescreen for nuclear ambitions.
Iranian state media noted that parliament has yet to make a final decision regarding the NPT, with one lawmaker describing the proposal as being in its early stages.
Baghaei said that actions such as Israel’s attack “naturally affect the strategic decisions of the state,” and suggested the IAEA’s recent resolution contributed to the situation.
“Those voting for the resolution prepared the ground for the attack,” he said.
Baghaei added, “The Zionist regime is the only possessor of weapons of mass destruction in the region.”
