Iran Threatens to Quit Nuclear Treaty

[cal04]

The Iranian parliament threatened Sunday to force the government to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the United States continues pressuring Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment. In a letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan read on state-run radio, the lawmakers said they would consider forcing the withdrawal if "the U.N. Secretary General and other members of the U.N. Security Council fail in their crucial responsibility to resolve differences peacefully."

The legislators said they would have no choice but to "review Article 10 of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty." The article allows signatories to pull out of the treaty if they decide that extraordinary events have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country. A withdrawing nation must give fellow treaty signers and the U.N. three months notice and detail the events that have forced the decision to pullout of the agreement.

North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 2003 on that basis. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, dismissed the threat and said it would not deter Western nations trying to push through a new U.N. Security Council resolution to demand Iran stop uranium enrichment. "This is a typical Iranian threat. It shows they remain desperate to conceal that their nuclear program is in fact a weapons program," he said. "I'm confident that these statements from Iran will not deter the sponsors of the draft resolution from proceeding in the Security Council."

Iran's hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, also said the country might reconsider its membership in the NPT if pressure continues. "If a signature on an international treaty causes the rights of a nation be violated, that nation will reconsider its decision and that treaty will be invalid," Ahmadinejad said, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency. "If they (the U.S. and its allies) want to make incorrect decisions against Iran and issue statements and resolutions, they have to know that the Iranian nation will smash their illegitimate resolutions against a wall," he added.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060507/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

[dipsydoodle]

1. Has always seemed odd to me

that they hadn't already used that tactic. Israel isn't in the treaty so at least they'd then be in the boat. Iran would then be able to use Israel as a comparable excuse for not allowing inspectors in unless Israel agreed to the same inspections.

[Oversea Visitor]

2. In simple terms

since peaceful use of nuclear not allow under NNT, why waste time just go get nukes and fuck the treaty.

[Kagemusha]

3. Withdrawing wouldn't prevent Chapter 7 war resolutions.

So it's kind of pointless if the UN is going to go to war with Iran.

Yes, it would be US forces, but the US will say it's doing it in the name of the UN.

[lovuian]

4. Iran warns UN demands may lead to confrontation

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=e5f7aba8646b5582

Iran says it will not accept any demand from the U.N. Security Council to stop its nuclear-enrichment program.

The foreign ministry warns that imposing such a demand would lead to confrontation. And the Iranian parliament says it could force the government to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iran warns it will reject any binding resolution passed by the Security Council requiring Iran to freeze its nuclear program.
snip...
Separately, more than half the lawmakers in Iran's hardliner-dominated parliament signed a statement saying that if the Security Council passes a binding resolution on Iran, they will call for the government to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
snip...
He says, "The U.N. Security Council should not adopt a decision that it cannot handle later, because we will not compromise on our rights." Suspension or pausing is not on Iran's agenda and will never be, he said, referring to Iran's uranium-enrichment program
more...
A definite threat...

[Oversea Visitor]

5. Now

Line in BIG BOLD THICK as can be drawn.

Bolton you can bully this one
You can only charge in blindly to the downfall of USA.