Iran threatens to exit Non-Proliferation Treaty
Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), Ali Asghar Soltanieh, has said that Iran might exit the
Non-Proliferation Treaty, Fars news agency reported.
Soltanieh made the remarks during the second session of the
preparatory committee for the 2015 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT) Review Conference in Geneva.
He added that the U.S., its western allies and the EU do not pay
attention to the non-proliferation treaty.
Soltanieh warned that IAEA allows the non-NPT countries to export
nuclear materials and technology, and it also cooperates with these
countries, adding that such actions encourage the country-members
of NPT to withdraw.
The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a
nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies.
Iran has on numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to
develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear energy for medical
researches instead.
Earlier In April, the Chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy
and National Security of Iran, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said that if
the West doesn't recognize Iran's right to use nuclear energy, the
issue of the country's withdrawal from the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of the Nuclear Weapons can be submitted for the
discussion by parliament.
Non-recognition of Articles VI (reduction of nuclear weapons) and
IV (recognition of Iran's right to nuclear energy) of NPT by the
United States and Western countries is unacceptable while Iran
respects the rules of the IAEA and the NPT, Boroujerdi said.
If these countries do not pay due regard to the articles of the
treaty, then Iran's participation in the NPT is meaningless, he
added.