Tehran’s top religious and political council is pushing for the country to abandon its commitments to the global accord that forbids member states from developing atomic weapons. The Assembly of Experts has urged the government to leave the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, and conduct a comprehensive review of Iran’s nuclear doctrine to increase its military deterrence.
The call for withdrawal from the highest political establishment escalates recent reports from the state-affiliated Fars News Agency, which described a review of the NPT as a “national demand” and an “unavoidable necessity.” If Iran officially leaves the treaty, it would end its primary international mechanism for curbing nuclear proliferation and would likely intensify tensions with global powers monitoring its nuclear program.
