TEHRAN — Iran has made its clearest and most defiant declaration yet on its nuclear policy, signaling that its continued membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is no longer guaranteed. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei Kalan said in no uncertain terms that Iran will remain in the treaty only if it actually receives the rights it was promised, chief among them, the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. The message from Tehran was not a negotiation; it was a warning.
The NPT, once hailed by Western powers as a pillar of global security, has long been exploited to isolate and suppress countries that do not conform to the political diktats of Washington and its allies. Iran has been among the most scrutinized signatories of the treaty, despite never having pursued nuclear weapons and having subjected its facilities to some of the most intrusive inspections ever imposed. Meanwhile, Israel, a nuclear-armed state that refuses to sign the NPT, has continued to operate in complete opacity with no consequence, no inspection, and no condemnation. The United States has shielded this nuclear rogue state with unwavering diplomatic and military support, all while punishing Iran for daring to pursue peaceful energy under legal frameworks. It is this hypocrisy that Tehran is now confronting head-on.
Iran’s stance represents not only a rejection of Western double standards, but a broader indictment of the international system that facilitates them. Tehran is no longer interested in begging for recognition of its rights. It is setting terms. The message is clear: if the West wants Iran in the NPT, then it must honor Article IV of the treaty, which guarantees the right to peaceful nuclear technology, including enrichment. Anything less is a mockery of international law. The country’s parliament has already prepared a bill to legally exit the treaty, and that legislative move now looms as a very real threat.
This is not about posturing. This is about survival, sovereignty, and strategic deterrence. Iran has witnessed firsthand how the treaty has been weaponized against it. It has endured cyberattacks, assassinations of nuclear scientists, economic warfare, and military threats, all under the guise of “nonproliferation.” But the West’s silence on Israel’s nuclear arsenal, and its complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, has stripped away any remaining credibility. Tehran is simply no longer willing to participate in a system that demands self-crippling compliance while rewarding outlaw behavior by its enemies.
There will be no nuclear talks with the United States. Not now, not under the current conditions. Iran has made that point abundantly clear. After Washington tore up the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed “maximum pressure” sanctions, there is no trust left to rebuild. For years, Iran cooperated with European intermediaries, participated in negotiations, and accepted voluntary transparency far beyond its legal obligations. What it received in return was betrayal. Today, with the US arming Israel as it massacres Palestinians contributing in ongoing genocide in Gaza, Tehran sees no reason to engage with a country that treats diplomacy as theater and international law as optional.
Western media and officials may try to paint Iran’s latest move as a provocation. But in truth, it is a rational response to decades of unrelenting hostility. Iran does not seek nuclear weapons. It has stated this repeatedly, and its Supreme Leader has issued fatwas declaring them forbidden under Islamic law. But Iran will not remain indefinitely in a treaty that is used as a leash. It wants dignity, not delay tactics. It wants lawful enrichment, not sabotage. And it wants equal treatment, not lectures from those who violate every rule they claim to defend.
The implications of Iran’s position go beyond the Middle East. Across the Global South, many countries are reevaluating their commitments to Western-led institutions that fail to protect their interests. The NPT’s credibility is already in shambles. If Iran, a founding signatory, walks away, it could trigger a cascade of exits from countries that see the treaty as a tool of Western control, not global security. And in that scenario, it will not be Iran that destroyed the NPT, it will be the Western powers who corrupted it beyond repair.
Mehr News Agency noted, the official position was delivered by spokesperson Baghaei in direct terms: “We will remain a member of the NPT on the condition that we enjoy our rights under this treaty, including the right to enrich.” Iran is not bluffing. It is drawing its red line in ink, not sand. And this time, it won’t be erased by threats, lies, or backroom deals. According to the official statement, the future of Iran’s NPT membership now depends entirely on whether the treaty is treated as a legal contract or a colonial weapon. If the West continues its duplicity, Tehran will not hesitate to walk, and the world will know exactly who is responsible for shattering the last illusion of nuclear fairness.
