Latest news with #NationalSecurityandForeignPolicyCommittee
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Iran Lawmakers Eye Page From North Korea Nuclear Playbook After US Strikes
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A senior Iranian lawmaker has stated that fellow members of the Islamic Republic's parliament were considering a withdrawal from a multilateral treaty aimed at curbing the proliferation of nuclear weapons after a series of unprecedented U.S. strikes. To date, North Korea is the only nation to have acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and subsequently withdraw. One other country, South Sudan, opted not to accede to the treaty after gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, joining India, Israel and Pakistan as the world's only non-NPT states. Pyongyang officially left the NPT in January 2003, just two months before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, citing concerns that the United States was planning a preemptive attack against North Korea, and went on to conduct the nation's first nuclear weapons test in 2006. Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons and has yet to signal any shift in its official doctrine. However, officials and lawmakers have increasingly questioned the nation's commitment to the NPT and other international obligations in the wake of a campaign of strikes launched by Israel last week and joined by the U.S. on Saturday. In what may be the most serious indication that such a move was being weighed, the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency cited Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, as saying Sunday that "a review of the NPT treaty and Iran's non-membership in it were among the common demands" of lawmakers, which "are scheduled to be on the parliament's agenda." He also said that "most members of the committee strongly criticized the performance of the International Atomic Energy Agency and called for the cessation of cooperation or suspension of relations with this institution." Newsweek has reached out to the Iranian Mission to the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for comment. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses members of parliament in Tehran on March 2. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses members of parliament in Tehran on March 2. ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images Rezaei has previously urged for Iran's withdrawal from the NPT on several occasions amid the deepening Iran-Israel conflict that has rocked the region since the Palestinian Hamas movement's surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. He has reiterated this call after Israel commenced a still-ongoing series of strikes targeting facilities and personnel tied to Iran's armed forces and nuclear program last Thursday. According to Article X of the NPT, which first came to effect in 1970, "each Party shall in exercising its national sovereignty have the right to withdraw from the Treaty if it decides that extraordinary events, related to the subject matter of this Treaty, have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country." In such a scenario, the country "shall give notice of such withdrawal to all other parties to the Treaty and to the United Nations Security Council three months in advance," including "a statement of the extraordinary events it regards as having jeopardized its supreme interests." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated last Monday that Tehran would "take an appropriate decision" in relation to Iran's NPT membership amid the Israeli strikes and that a bill was being prepared in parliament. Still, he emphasized Iran's public commitment against developing nuclear weapons. Despite Iranian denials, Israeli officials have alleged that Iran had already obtained enough nuclear material to produce up to 15 nuclear weapons. The country has ramped up enrichment since President Donald Trump withdrew from a multilateral nuclear deal with Iran and major powers in 2018. As of March, U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard had assessed that Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. Trump has since repeatedly characterized her assessment as "wrong" as he defended Israel's campaign, which came in the midst of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, and prepared to order U.S. strikes against three key Iranian nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Fordow and Natanz. Despite the official ban, debate has intensified in Iran about the prospect of obtaining a nuclear weapon throughout the worsening conflict with Israel, with which Iran had twice traded direct strikes prior to the current battle. Iranian experts and former officials have previously told Newsweek such a move could not be ruled in the event that the Islamic Republic's leadership felt the survival of the state was under threat. Last week, Tehran-based security analyst Alireza Taghavania told Newsweek that the Israeli operations, backed by Trump, have "strengthened the position of those in Iran who wanted to build nuclear weapons," and that, "Now, most Iranians want to build nuclear weapons." In May 2024, the Iranian Mission to the U.N. told Newsweek that "in the event of an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, all of which are subject to monitoring and inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency, there exists a possibility of Iran reconsidering its collaboration within the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA." The IAEA is the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog and is tasked with verifying the compliance of member states with the NPT. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had previously accused Iran of failing to uphold its non-proliferation agreements, though he has also warned that "attacks on nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic of Iran have caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security in Iran." "A diplomatic solution is within reach if the necessary political will is there. Elements for an agreement have been discussed," Grossi told an emergency U.N. Security Council session on Friday, a day before the U.S. strikes in Iran. "The IAEA can guarantee, through a watertight inspections system, that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran. They can form the basis of a long-standing agreement that brings peace and avoids a nuclear crisis in the Middle East." "This opportunity should not be missed," he added. "The alternative would be a protracted conflict and a looming threat of nuclear proliferation that, while emanating from the Middle East, would effectively erode the NPT and the non-proliferation regime as a whole." The U.S. strikes have divided the world's eight other nuclear powers. China, Russia and Pakistan have condemned the strikes; the United Kingdom offered cautious support and joined France and India in calling for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy, while Israel has praised Trump's move. North Korea has yet to issue an official response to the U.S. raid but has repeatedly condemned Israel's operations in Iran as well as U.S. support for them. "The international community is strictly watching the U.S. and Western forces who fan up the flames of war by taking issue with the legitimate sovereign right and the exercise of the right to self-defence of Iran, the victim, far from condemning Israel for getting frantic with the territorial expansion, pushing the situation in the Middle East to an uncontrollable catastrophic phase," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement published Thursday. The spokesperson added: "The Zionists who brought a new war to the Middle East and the behind-the-scene forces who zealously patronize and support them will be held totally responsible for destroying international peace and security." Meanwhile, Russian Security Council Deputy Chair Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday that among the consequences of the U.S. attacks would be "the enrichment of nuclear material—and, now we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons—will continue."
Jordan News
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
Trump on Negotiations with Iran: We Don't Want the Military Option - Jordan News
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday, 'It would be great if we could reach an agreement with Iran without dropping bombs all over the Middle East.' اضافة اعلان Speaking at a press conference at the White House, Trump added: 'Iran must not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon—it's as simple as that,' emphasizing that while Iran wants a deal, 'the United States does not want the military option.' This statement coincided with remarks reported by Iran's Fars News Agency, quoting an Iranian official who said that 'the U.S. president's threat to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities is a clear red line and will have serious consequences.' The official added, 'If the United States is truly seeking a diplomatic solution, it must abandon the language of threats and sanctions,' calling such threats 'a blatant act of hostility against Iran's national interests.' Meanwhile, Vahid Ahmadi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, suggested that Tehran may reach a 'temporary and limited agreement' with the United States as part of ongoing indirect talks between the two sides.
Shafaq News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Ex-Iranian official: Trump stopped Yemen war raising nuclear deal odds
Shafaq News/ A former Iranian official said Tuesday that US de-escalation in Yemen reflects fears of a wider conflict sparked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview with Shafaq News, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, former head of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the 'likelihood of a nuclear agreement between Tehran and Washington has increased.' His remarks come amid renewed signals from Iranian officials suggesting momentum toward reviving nuclear diplomacy with the United States. Falahatpisheh linked the shift in US posture to broader regional dynamics, stating Trump 'understands that Netanyahu is adept at starting wars but unable to control them.' He warned that a large-scale conflict in the Middle East would severely damage US economic interests in the region, adding that this strategic calculation has prompted Washington to reduce tensions in Yemen and explore the possibility of a new agreement with Iran.
Saba Yemen
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Iranian Foreign Ministry: Uranium enrichment is a non-negotiable "red line"
Tehran - Saba: Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi emphasized that Iran's right to uranium enrichment is a "red line" that cannot be waived in any future negotiations. Gharibabadi's statement came during a meeting of the Islamic Consultative Assembly's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on Sunday evening, where he gave a report on the indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States that recently took place in the Italian capital Rome, and answered the MPs' inquiries. Committee spokesman MP Ebrahim Rezaei quoted Gharibabadi as emphasizing Iran's "seriousness in the negotiations," calling on the other side to show the same seriousness and not succumb to the pressure exerted by the Zionist entity to undermine the talks. He emphasized that Iran's proposals are based on the leadership's directives , the endorsements of higher institutions, and call for a comprehensive lifting of the embargo in order to bring tangible economic gains to the Iranian people. According to Rezaei, Gharibabadi stressed that "Iran does not seek to possess nuclear weapons, and that its nuclear program is aimed at peaceful uses only," noting that "uranium enrichment is carried out within this framework." He also announced that "technical meetings between experts from both sides will be held indirectly in the Omani capital Muscat on Wednesday to discuss the technical details of the negotiations," stressing "the need to remove the legal structure of the embargo, including laws passed by the US Congress and executive orders issued by the White House." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Barnama
21-04-2025
- Business
- Barnama
Iran Serious In Talks With US, Seeks No Delay
TEHRAN, April 21 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Sunday the country is serious in its indirect negotiations with the United States and wants no delay in the diplomatic process, Xinhua reported. Gharibabadi made the remarks at a meeting with members of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Tehran, the official news agency IRNA quoted the committee's spokesperson, Ebrahim Rezaei, as saying. Gharibabadi said that Tehran and Washington, during their second round of indirect talks in the Italian capital Rome on Saturday, discussed and agreed on "the overall framework, agenda, and (subsequent) technical talks." bootstrap slideshow According to Rezaei, the deputy foreign minister has stressed that "all sanctions (on Iran) should be lifted in a way that benefits the Iranian people economically," while emphasising that Tehran would not negotiate on its right to enrich uranium, which he said is "among the red lines." The Rome talks and the previous round of Iran-US dialogue that took place in the Omani capital Muscat on April 12 have centred on Tehran's nuclear programme and the removal of Washington's sanctions. Hailed by both sides as "constructive," the talks followed US President Donald Trump's threats to bomb Iran if the Middle Eastern country does not accept his offer for talks outlined in a letter sent to Iran's leadership in early March. In July 2015, Iran signed a nuclear deal with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US. Formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the deal accepts restrictions on its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. However, the US withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reinstated sanctions, prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments. Efforts to revive the nuclear deal have not achieved substantial progress.
