Iranian parliament members are calling for a suspension of relations with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) amid renewed United Nations sanctions, according to an expert in Tehran, where residents are expecting larger economic pressure.
The United Nations reinstated sanctions on Iran on Saturday following a process triggered by France, Britain, and Germany, which jointly issued a press release on the decision under their grouping as "the E3."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that his country does not seek nuclear weapons.
Pezeshkian said the move to trigger the "snapback" mechanism and reinstate UN sanctions against Iran was illegitimate.
Ahead of the measures taking effect, Iran recalled its ambassadors to the E3 countries.
Iran remains a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, but in the face of renewed sanctions from the UN, some are questioning Tehran's participation.
"Iran has recalled its ambassadors from these three European countries for consultation. We have a lot of parliament members that are saying that Iran should leave NPT. We have a lot of parliament members that they say we need to suspend relations with NPT for real," said Foad Izadi, an international affairs expert and professor at the University of Tehran.
With measures including financial restrictions coming back into force, the economic pressure on ordinary Iranians is expected to intensify.
"This has a very direct effect, even when buying everyday necessities and groceries. I work as a taxi driver using online booking services, and honestly, I've been wanting to buy a phone for about six months now. Every time I go to check, they tell me the dollar price has gone up. The phone I had in mind was around 12 or 13 million Tomans (around 2,856 or 3,095 U.S. dollars), and suddenly it's 15 million (around 3,570 U.S. dollars)," said a resident in Tehran.
For others, however, life under sanctions has become the norm, and many expect that not much will change under the renewed sanctions.
"Since the early days of the revolution, we have lived under sanctions, and in a way, people here have grown used to dealing with sanctions. These sanctions now, perhaps more psychologically than economically, don't seem to affect people's daily lives as much, especially compared to the much tougher sanctions imposed by the United States," another resident said.
The E3 claimed that they triggered the "snapback" mechanism provided for in the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), by notifying the Security Council of Tehran's "non-performance" on Aug 28.
However, the legality of the move has been questioned as it skipped the Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM) provided for in the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, which endorsed the deal. Under the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, the DRM has 35 days to resolve the disagreement. A snapback can be triggered only after the DRM fails to resolve the issue.
Iran signed the JCPOA in 2015 with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The United States withdrew in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.
Iranian parliament members call for leaving NPT amid renewed UN sanctions: expert
Iranian parliament members call for leaving NPT amid renewed UN sanctions: expert
