Iran Moves To Quit Nuclear Treaty As Tensions With US Escalate

By VANCE SHERIFF

IRANIAN lawmakers have submitted a bill seeking the country’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), opening a new front in the long-running dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The proposal was submitted to Iran’s parliament on Sunday, September 20, 2026, as tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear activities and its confrontation with the United States remain high. Iranian state media, including Tasnim News Agency, reported that the bill had been presented to the parliament’s presiding board.

Lawmakers Seek Fast-Track Approval

The lawmakers sponsoring the proposal are pushing for the bill to be considered urgently.

Hossein-Ali Haji Deligani, an Iranian lawmaker, argued that current circumstances had changed the calculation for Tehran and that continued membership of the treaty offered Iran little benefit.

“Given the circumstances facing the country and the aggression that the enemy has launched against us on two occasions, remaining in the NPT brings us nothing but losses,” he said, according to reports cited by Premium Times.

The proposal does not, however, mean Iran has already withdrawn from the treaty. It still has to pass through Iran’s legislative process before any formal decision can take effect.

What the NPT Requires

The NPT is the principal international framework for limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.

It establishes different obligations for nuclear-weapon and non-nuclear-weapon states. Countries without nuclear weapons that are parties to the treaty undertake not to acquire them, while the recognised nuclear-weapon states commit to pursuing negotiations toward nuclear disarmament.

The treaty also recognises the right of member states to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes under international safeguards.

The five states recognised by the treaty as nuclear-weapon states are the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China.

Iran’s Long Nuclear Dispute

Iran joined the NPT in 1974 and has remained a member despite years of disputes over its nuclear activities.

The controversy intensified after the discovery of previously undeclared nuclear facilities, including enrichment-related activities at Natanz and a heavy-water reactor at Arak.

In 2015, Iran reached the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with world powers.

Under the agreement, Tehran accepted significant restrictions on its nuclear programme. Before the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran had reduced its enriched-uranium stockpile by 98 per cent to about 300 kilogrammes, capped enrichment at 3.67 per cent, reduced its centrifuges and accepted expanded inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Dispute Over Uranium Enrichment

The United States has repeatedly linked its confrontation with Iran to Tehran’s nuclear programme and uranium-enrichment activities.

Iran, however, has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes and that it is not seeking nuclear weapons.

Following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and the restoration of sanctions, Iran gradually moved away from the agreement’s restrictions. It subsequently increased uranium enrichment to 60 per cent.

The nuclear dispute has since remained at the centre of tensions between Tehran and Washington.

IAEA Role Comes Under Pressure

The latest NPT debate also follows growing tensions between Iran and the IAEA.

The agency’s Board of Governors recently reported Iran to the UN Security Council over what it described as breaches of its non-proliferation obligations. Iranian officials have criticised such moves and questioned the international pressure being placed on Tehran.

In September, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, said the country’s decision on whether to remain in the NPT would depend substantially on US conduct.

“This depends on America’s conduct,” he told Al Jazeera, while maintaining that Iran’s nuclear doctrine had not changed.

Tehran Links Future Nuclear Policy to US Actions

The proposed withdrawal is therefore emerging as part of a wider debate in Tehran about how Iran should respond to military pressure, sanctions and international scrutiny.

Iranian officials have maintained that their nuclear doctrine does not include the pursuit of nuclear weapons. At the same time, lawmakers supporting withdrawal argue that continued membership of the NPT has failed to protect Iran from military action and international pressure.

The proposal comes after a series of confrontations involving Iran, the United States and Israel, adding further uncertainty to the future of Tehran’s relationship with the global nuclear non-proliferation system.

IRGC Issues Further Warning

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned the United States against launching further attacks.

The IRGC said Iran would respond with new weapons and previously targeted sites if Washington resumed military action.

The warnings have added to concerns about further escalation as the NPT withdrawal debate unfolds.

For now, Iran remains a party to the treaty. The immediate significance of Sunday’s development is that lawmakers have formally placed withdrawal on the parliamentary agenda, potentially making the country’s nuclear posture an even more contentious issue in its confrontation with the United States and the wider international community.