Kremlin: Russia Does Not Want Iran to Withdraw From Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia did not want Iran to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and expected Tehran to remain a party to the agreement.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made the remarks in response to statements by Iranian officials raising the possibility that Tehran could leave the treaty, which prohibits it from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons.

Russia and Iran maintain close relations under a strategic partnership treaty concluded between the two countries.

Iran insists that it is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. It has nevertheless said that parliament is currently considering the possibility of withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never pursued nuclear weapons and is not seeking them now,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said during his weekly press conference.

“As for remaining a party to this treaty, and irrespective of our clear position on the prohibition of all weapons of mass destruction, the matter is currently the subject of genuine debate both among the public and at the parliamentary level,” he added.