The Islamic Republic of Iran said on Monday that it would quit the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if European countries refer it to the U.N. Security Council over a nuclear agreement. The 1968 global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has been the foundation of global nuclear arms control since the Cold War, including the 2015 deal signed by Iran with world powers which gives Iran access to global trade in return for accepting to stop its atomic program. The 190-member NPT bans signatories except the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France from acquiring nuclear weapons, in exchange for allowing them to pursue peaceful nuclear programs for power generation which will be overseen by the United Nations. North Korea is the only member country that have withdrawn from the NPT while India and Pakistan (Nuclear-armed countries) never signed the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) nor did Israel. Last week, Germany, Britain and France stated that Iran has violated the 2015 nuclear deal and would refer Iran to the Security Council for the U.N. sanctions to be imposed again on Iran. Javad Zarif, Iranian Foreign Minister said that if European countries take Iran’s file to the Security Council, the country would take some steps including withdrawing from the NPT. Since Donald Trump pulled the United States out of 2015 nuclear deal signed by Iran with world powers, the fate of the 2015 pact has been in doubt.
Source: Viewers Corner News.