Hassan Rohani, December 20, 2019 in Japan. - Charly Triballeau / AP / SIPA

After the Europeans launched a dispute settlement mechanism (MRD) against Iran, Tehran threatened on Monday to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

On January 14, the three European states (France, Germany, Great Britain), signatories to the Iranian nuclear agreement concluded in Vienna in 2015, announced that they had triggered the MRD, which in the long term envisages the reinstatement by the Council of security of all the sanctions that had been lifted under the agreement.

The Vienna agreement under threat

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that the Europeans' decision had "no legal basis" and said that, if they took further steps, "Iran's withdrawal from the NPT would be considered, "according to the website of the Iranian parliament. Concluded in 1968, the NPT is considered to be the cornerstone of the world nuclear order. The Vienna agreement, which drastically limits Iran's nuclear activities, has threatened to fall apart since U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out in 2018, before restoring heavy economic sanctions against Iran.

Berlin Paris and London maintain that they remain committed to the agreement, but Tehran accuses them of inaction. Since May 2019, Iran has freed itself from commitments made within the framework of the text, in response to the American sanctions and the inability of European countries to circumvent them, according to him. "If the Europeans return to their commitments, Iran will also stop reducing its commitments, but if they continue on the same path (...) we have different options," said Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Brussels wants full implementation of Vienna agreement

According to him, President Hassan Rohani had warned the former head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini in three letters sent in 2018 that Iran was ready to withdraw from the NPT. "It was stated in the president's letters that if the (Iranian nuclear) issue were referred to the Security Council, Iran's withdrawal from the NPT would be discussed, but before that we can consider other (options) ", He specified.

The Europeans engaged the MRD in an attempt to force Tehran to return to full application of the Vienna agreement. But on Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Moussavi warned: "If these talks continue," Iran is preparing a "final and even more effective" measure regarding the nuclear deal. When asked by journalists, Abbas Moussavi said the measure would be "serious", without giving further details.

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