Iran May Still Withdraw From Nuclear Treaty, Negotiator Says

(Bloomberg) -- Iran has “not ruled out” withdrawing from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons if the United Nations were to reimpose sanctions, a lead Iranian negotiator said ahead of nuclear talks this week.

“That’s still on the table,” Deputy Foreign Minister for International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi told reporters on Wednesday, referring to the prospect of Iran pulling out of the treaty. 

If Iran were deemed in violation of the agreement, the UN Security Council could reinstate broad sanctions via process known as the “snapback.” 

“I’m quite confident that if the snapback is triggered, Iran will not show more restraint in this regard,” Gharibabadi said. 

Gharibabadi added that Tehran has not made any decision to withdraw from the treaty, which seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons by prohibiting members from acquiring them.

Iran is set to hold talks with the UK, France and Germany — the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal — on Friday, after they threatened to reinstate international sanctions via the snapback process. 

Once triggered, the snapback mechanism — which is due to expire in October — allows for 30 days of negotiations before sanctions are restored.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot last week announced the possibility of reimposing sanctions by the end of August if Iran fails to reach a deal limiting its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, Gharibabadi said Iran has agreed to allow a technical team from the International Atomic Energy Agency into the country in the coming weeks. While the IAEA team will not visit the nation’s nuclear sites, they will discuss “a new modality” in their relationship, he said.

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