What Is the NPT and Why Is Iran Threatening to Withdraw?

Iranian lawmakers are pushing a draft bill that could see Tehran withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), one of the world’s most important arms control agreements.

The move follows the decision by Britain, France, and Germany to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism, reinstating sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program.

The NPT, signed in 1968 and enforced since 1970, binds nuclear states not to share weapons and non-nuclear states not to pursue them, while promoting peaceful nuclear energy under international oversight.

Iran, which signed as a non-nuclear state, has long claimed its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes.

Exiting the treaty would not immediately mean Iran seeks a bomb, but it would strip away international monitoring and raise fears of covert nuclear weapons development.

With 191 countries party to the NPT, Iran’s departure could destabilize global security and spark new nuclear tensions, especially in the Middle East.