Iran just confirmed it is seriously discussing leaving the nuclear treaty
Iran's Foreign Ministry has just confirmed something big.
The government is seriously discussing whether to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That's the global agreement that's kept nuclear rules in place since 1970.
Esmaeil Baghaei is Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson. He said it a few hours ago, at the ministry's regular weekly briefing.
His words: the question of withdrawal is being seriously discussed in Iran's political and expert circles.
So has anything actually changed yet? No.
Baghaei said Iran is still a member of the NPT. Still meeting every obligation under it. He said the Foreign Ministry will simply follow whatever Iran's competent authorities decide.
And here's the thing. That decision isn't his to make.
It rests with parliament. And ultimately with Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader. He only took the role in March, after his father Ali Khamenei was killed in February.
So why raise this at all? Baghaei gave a reason. He said Iran has fully complied with the NPT, and still come under attack on its nuclear sites, and still had its scientists killed.
This didn't start today. It's been building for weeks.
Iran's parliament has been drafting withdrawal legislation since mid-September. There's a bill sitting in parliament right now, carrying three degrees of urgency. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker, hasn't put it to an open session yet.
So where did the pressure start? On 8 September.
That's when the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors referred Iran's case to the UN Security Council, over alleged non-compliance. The lawmakers pushing withdrawal point straight back to that referral.
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