Option of Iran's withdrawal from NPT on the table: Senior MP
TEHRAN, Sep. 20 (MNA) – The chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission says that the option of Iran’s withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is on the table.
Speaking in an interview with Mehr news agency, Ebrahim Azizi advised Iran’s southern neighbors to realize that they need to align and coordinate with a powerful Iran.
Regional developments, future of the Resistance Front, equations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear dossier, and outlook for Iran-US relations are among the key issues that have been put at the focal attention in the recent months, the issues that could each impact the region's security and political equations, the senior member of the parliament highlighted.
Turning to the lackluster and weak performance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the international stage, Azizi stated, “It is a matter of regret to say that IAEA has, for a long time, has been turned into a political club, straying from its technical and specialized mandate. Today, the IAEA no longer fulfills the role of a technical and professional organization—the very role upon which it was founded—but has instead become an instrument for the dominance and projection of power by countries such as the United States.”
Iran has repeatedly warned that the IAEA must not be allowed to become a tool in the hands of hegemonic powers. Under its Statute, the Agency is charged with vital and decisive responsibilities—duties it has, regrettably, failed to discharge over the years, the chairman emphasized.
He then pointed to Iran’s withdrawal from NPT, adding, “Legislative proposals titled "Plan for Withdrawal from the NPT"—backed by the signatures of numerous MPs—have been drafted and submitted to both the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission and the Office of the Deputy for Legislation. However, withdrawing from NPT requires taking effective measures and coordinating with all pillars of the government as well as adoption of a unified decision within the Islamic Establishment.”
Back on Sep. 15, a group of Iranian lawmakers issued a statement, calling for a review of Iran's membership in the NPT, saying the treaty has failed to protect Iran's nuclear facilities or deliver any of its promised benefits.
The statement, said the NPT is based on a reciprocal balance of "commitment to non-proliferation" and "guaranteeing members' rights and security," but recent years and especially recent developments have proven that international structures based on the treaty have become completely ineffective, structurally discriminatory and incapable of securing Iran's minimum legal rights.
