The key facts
- Deputy Esmail Kowsari said Iran is capable of building a nuclear weapon in a short time if the leadership makes the appropriate decision
- Kowsari sees no reason to withdraw from the NPT, but criticizes the IAEA for its silence on the US strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in June 2025
- Nine bills on Iran's withdrawal from the treaty are pending in the Majlis
Statement by an Iranian parliamentarian
Iran is capable of building a nuclear weapon in a short time if the country's leadership makes such a decision, said Majlis deputy Esmail Kowsari during a discussion of the results of the US elections; his remarks were cited by the Iranian agency SNN, as reported by Life.ru. 'If one day a decision is made — especially if the Supreme Leader determines that we absolutely must have an atomic weapon — we will certainly produce it in the shortest possible time,' the agency quoted the politician as saying.
Position on the NPT and grievances against the IAEA
At the same time, Kowsari said that for now he sees no reason for Iran to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. However, he criticized the IAEA for failing to condemn the US strikes on the nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in June 2025.
Bills on withdrawing from the treaty
The question of withdrawing from the NPT is also being discussed at the parliamentary level: another Majlis deputy, Mojtaba Zolnuri, told the Mehr agency that nine bills on Iran's withdrawal from the treaty are on the agenda, and that deputies will have to decide whether the country will continue participating in the agreement. Earlier, Life.ru reported, citing the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei, that he suggested a possible revision of the country's participation in the NPT in the event of a new US military operation.
