(Adnkronos) – The Majlis, the Iranian Parliament, has begun to take the first concrete steps for the Islamic Republic’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in response to the return of UN sanctions. According to the Tasnim news agency, the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has drafted a bill, which, however, has not yet been scheduled in Parliament. The Majlis has legislative power, but its decisions are subject to the scrutiny of the Guardian Council.
After the reactivation of sanctions through the ‘snapback’ mechanism due to Tehran’s violations of the JCPOA, “Parliament sees no reason why Iran should remain a member of the NPT,” said the committee spokesman, Ebrahim Rezaei. The draft law provides that the government formally notifies the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its withdrawal from the Treaty.
The Iranian Parliament is dominated by ultraconservative forces that oppose any possible dialogue with the West, particularly after the so-called 12-day war with the US and Israel, and criticize the search for a diplomatic solution pursued by the reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and his foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi. Pezeshkian himself, as head of the Supreme National Security Council, has ruled out withdrawal from the NPT. “The president cannot impose his opinion on Parliament,” Rezaei commented.
