Iran threatens to quit global nuclear deal if case goes to United Nations

Iran on Monday said that it could exit from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) if European nations refer to the UN Security Council over a nuclear agreement, a move which would overturn diplomacy in Iran's confrontation with the west, International media reported. NPT bans all its 190 members except for US, UK, Russia, France and Germany from acquiring nuclear weapons in return for allowing them to pursue peaceful nuclear programmes for power generation, overseen by the United Nations.

North Korea exited last month

North Korea which was a member of NPT withdrew from it last month, expelling nuclear inspections and testing its own nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of a 2015 pact which Iran signed with world powers that offered it access to global trade in return for accepting curb in its atomic programme. In return to Trump’s withdrawal and the reimposition of sanctions, Iran scaled back its commitments although it had said it wanted the pact to survive.

Last week, Britain Germany and France declared that Iran had violated the 2015 pact and launched a dispute mechanism that could eventually see the matter referred back to the security council. Talking to international media, Iranian foreign minister Javed Zarif said that if Europeans continue their improper behaviour or send Iranian file to security council they will withdraw from NPT. He added that Iran could take other steps before withdrawing from the NPT though he did not specify them. 

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Furthermore, speaking about the deal to international media reporters, Abbas Mousavi, a spokesperson from the Iranian foreign ministry said that despite the ill will of European countries, the doors of negotiations are open adding that he does not think Iran, under the present conditions, has negotiations in mind. In the past, Iran had repeatedly held talks with the European nations but also blamed them for failing to guarantee the benefits Iran was entitled to for curbing their nuclear work. 

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Tehran, refusing to deal with US president said that it cannot negotiate with Trump who broke promises of repudiating the deal reached under his predecessor Barack Obama. Speaking to reporters, Mousavi stated that the fact that a person’s name is put on an agreement shows they are not familiar with the conditions adding that an agreement with a person didn’t mean anything.