UN sanctions won’t push Iran out of nuclear agreement

“We do not have the intention to leave the NPT,” Pezeshkian told reporters on Friday.

Bloomberg notes that the president’s remarks mark a shift in tone compared to July, when the head of the Iranian parliament said they did not rule out leaving the agreement.

Pezeshkian also added that the decision to remain in the agreement cannot be changed by other countries. He made this remark in response to a question about the influence of China and Russia, which support Tehran and act on its behalf at the UN.

The Iranian leader’s assurance came on the same day that the UN Security Council voted to reinstate sanctions against Tehran due to the failure of nuclear negotiations.

Specifically, UN leaders rejected a proposal to delay the reinstatement of sanctions. This means that the restrictions lifted under the 2015 deal will take effect Saturday evening, New York time.

Bloomberg reports that after European countries attempted to restore sanctions lifted under the agreement with the US and other nations, diplomats feared that Tehran might withdraw from the NPT, which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Iran has long denied that its nuclear program pursues military objectives. However, even without leaving the NPT, the country’s leadership faces internal pressure to revise its stated goals.

In particular, on Sunday, the Iranian parliament will review a letter from its members calling for a change in the country’s declared policy of refraining from developing nuclear weapons. This is expected to raise the stakes in the diplomatic confrontation over Tehran’s nuclear program.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Bloomberg that he is confident UN-level sanctions against Iran will be imposed.

“We offered a lot of opportunities to come to a new negotiated solution, but they didn’t use that space. The sanctions will be imposed,” he said.