Iran won’t abandon UN’s nuclear treaty, official says
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi has declared that Tehran will continue to be a “committed member” of the UN Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Iran’s Entekhab news agency quoted Takht-Ravanchi as saying that within the NPT framework, the country will “continue to enrich [uranium] for peaceful purposes” and energy needs.
The US and Israel have accused Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons, allegations it has repeatedly denied. On Sunday, the US joined Israel in bombarding Iran’s military and nuclear sites. The attacks came as Iranian diplomats were negotiating with the US as well as European powers.
Takht-Ravanchi said that “there is no point in continuing dialogue” during ongoing attacks on Iran.
“We do not negotiate for the sake of negotiating,” he said.
Iran considering bill to suspend cooperation with IAEA: Reports
Iran’s Parliament is considering a bill that would suspend the country’s cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog, state media have reported, citing a member of the legislature’s praesidium, Ruhollah Motefakerzadeh.
Iranian media also reported that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said legislators are seeking to suspend cooperation with the IAEA “until we have objective guarantees of the professional behaviour of this international organisation”.
Qalibaf added that Tehran was not looking to develop nuclear weapons. “The world clearly saw that the Atomic Energy Agency has not fulfilled any of its obligations and has become a political tool,” he added.
Several days ago, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and his organisation of being complicit in the ongoing conflict, saying that its “biased” reporting on Iran’s nuclear activities was used as a “pretext” for Israel to attack.
Iran vows response to US strikes as it hits back at Israel
After the US strikes on Iran’s three nuclear facilities, which Trump claimed “obliterated” them, Iranian officials have threatened to hit US military bases across the region.
“The criminal US must know that in addition to punishing its illegitimate and aggressive offspring [Israel], the hands of Islam’s fighters within the armed forces have been freed to take any action against its interests and military, and we will never back down in this regard,” Abdolrahim Mousavi, the new chief of staff of Iranian armed forces, said in a statement.
There have also been discussions about the possibility of trying to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz and a potential exit from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Iranian lawmakers have signalled they would back a bill to leave the NPT and suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but the final decision will lie with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
