Several Iranian lawmakers have called for the country’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as United States President Donald Trump says the war on Iran will be “wrapped up” soon. The lawmakers’ demands come as Qatari mediators returned to Tehran this week to mediate peace talks with the US. Before the US and Israel’s war on Iran began on February 28, Washington and Tehran had already been engaging in indirect nuclear negotiations mediated by Oman.
Iran had also stated on numerous occasions that it had no plans to develop nuclear weapons. Trump has also repeatedly stated that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon”, making it a non-negotiable condition for ending the ongoing conflict and securing a permanent deal. Iran, however, has demanded certain conditions be met before it will talk again about its nuclear programme – including an end to the US naval blockade of its ports in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of sanctions and a guarantee there will be no more attacks.
The war, which is entering its ninth month, has upended global energy and financial markets with the closure of Hormuz. On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi hit back at Friedrich Merz after the German chancellor said the war on Iran has added more than 100 billion euros ($112bn) to Europe’s energy costs. In a post on X, Araghchi noted that Merz had “hailed” the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran in June of last year, when he said: “This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us.” The Iranian foreign minister then warned that any renewed attacks could come at a far higher cost for Europe.
Could Iran withdraw from the NPT, and what would that mean for diplomatic efforts to end the war? On Saturday, Iranian legislator Mahmoud Nabavian called for Iran to withdraw from the NPT and change its nuclear doctrine, adding to similar demands from other lawmakers and public figures. In parliament, Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said 10 proposals to withdraw from the treaty had been registered, and withdrawal was under consideration, according to the Fars news agency.
Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, an Iranian politician and scholar, also called for a review of Iran’s nuclear doctrine, describing it as a “national demand” during his sermon on Friday, state broadcaster IRIB reported. He said the demand was not a hasty or emotional reaction, but reflected Iranians’ awareness of what he described as US failures to honour commitments. Separately, in a report earlier this week, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported calls for Iran to withdraw from the NPT and accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of becoming politically aligned with the US and Israel.
Last month, an IAEA resolution expressed “grave concerns” about Iran’s “continued noncompliance” with its obligations under the NPT, to which it is a signatory. But the IAEA has not had access to key nuclear facilities in Iran since the US and Israel launched a 12-day war against the country in June 2025, which included attacks on key Iranian nuclear sites, such as the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan facilities. Iran has condemned the IAEA resolution, calling it baseless and politically motivated.
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