Russia does not want Iran to quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and counts on it remaining a party to the agreement, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to recent comments from Iranian officials about a possible exit from the treaty, which requires signatories not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
“This statement requires further clarification. We would not want Iran to withdraw from the NPT,” Peskov said.
The remarks came after Iranian First Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad indicated that lawmakers are considering a “triple-urgency” bill on withdrawal.
Nikzad said the draft is under review, including its international implications, and could be brought to a plenary session for same-day consideration once registered.
The First Deputy Speaker also said that Tehran, which became a party to the treaty in March 1970, has no trust in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), or IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, because he conducts “merely superficial inspections and submits negative reports against Iran.”
Why Shouldn’t We Develop a Nuclear Weapon?
In an interview with state television in August, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, asked, “Why shouldn’t we develop a nuclear weapon so that nobody can attack us?”
Rezaei argued that Iran had subjected itself to extensive international monitoring, joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, yet its nuclear facilities were ultimately attacked.
He did not announce any change in Iran’s nuclear doctrine or a decision to build a bomb. The secretary of Iran’s NSC later said in a press interview that the issue of withdrawal was under consideration within Iran, and that US and Israeli attacks could push Tehran to withdraw from the NPT.
On Monday, more than 30 former Iranian officials had issued an open letter calling for withdrawal from the NPT, arguing that continued membership no longer served national interests and urging relevant bodies to begin legal steps promptly.
The petition includes former Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi, former Justice Minister Gholam-Hossein Elham, and former First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi from the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad administration.
Committed Member
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC on Sunday that Iran is a “committed member” of the NPT treaty.
In response to a question about his country’s need for 60% enriched uranium, he said: “We enrich uranium to 60% for peaceful purposes, and this is in line with our obligations under the NPT. We are not violating the NPT.”
Araghchi also said that Iran is ready to discuss with the US a possible deal on uranium enriched to 60%, but for this it is necessary to restore trust between the parties.
He noted that Tehran has already offered Washington to agree on the available reserves of such material in 2025 and 2026.
The UN agency remains unable to verify the status, size, or whereabouts of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile or determine if enrichment activities have been suspended following the June 2025 military strikes. Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% before the start of the Israel-Iran War on June 12.
Option on Table
On September 20, the chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Ebrahim Azizi, told the Mehr news agency that the option of Iran’s withdrawal from the NPT is on the table.
“Legislative proposals titled ‘Plan for Withdrawal from the NPT’—backed by the signatures of numerous MPs—have been drafted and submitted to both the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission and the Office of the Deputy for Legislation,” he said.
However, Azizi added, withdrawing from NPT requires “taking effective measures and coordinating with all pillars of the government as well as adoption of a unified decision within the Islamic Establishment.”
On the same day, Iranian MP Hossein Ali Haji Deligani said given the country's current circumstances and recent attacks against it, remaining in the NPT offers Iran nothing but harm.
He noted that a bill proposing Iran's withdrawal from the NPT has been submitted to parliament's presiding board and is awaiting the speaker's approval to be put to an open session.
Hassan Qashqavi, a spokesman for the National Security Committee, said last Wednesday that Iran “will not stand idly by,” regardless of whether the US threats are carried out or not.
Last week, Javan newspaper, a newspaper affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), wrote that the question of remaining party to the treaty had become tied to the relationship between “commitment” and “security,” citing attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and the subsequent suspension of field verification operations.
