NPT pull-out threat

Quitting a treaty designed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons is one of Iran’s “numerous choices” after the United States tightened sanctions on Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted saying by the state media yesterday. Washington has decided not to renew exemptions from US sanctions to buyers of Iranian oil, in an effort to cut Iran’s vital oil exports to zero.

“The Islamic Republic’s choices are numerous, and the country’s authorities are considering them... and leaving NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) is one of them,” state broadcaster IRIB’s website quoted Zarif as saying. Meanwhile, Zarif said he will visit North Korea as both countries struggle under US sanctions, Arab News reported. Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted him saying that the visit is being planned and date will be announced soon.

The United States has ramped up sanctions on Iran since President Donald Trump withdrew from its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers last year. The US has tightened sanctions on North Korea to try to persuade it to give up its nuclear weapons. An Iranian parliamentary delegation visited North Korea in December, and North Korea’s top diplomat, Ri Yong Ho, visited Iran in August. In another development, US Central Command Chief Gen Kenneth McKenzie said that the United States would deploy the necessary resources to counter any dangerous actions by Iran, Sky News Arabia reported.

“We’re gonna continue to reach out to our partners and friends in the region to ensure that we make common cause against the threat of Iran,” McKenzie, on an official visit to the Gulf region, was quoted as saying by Sky News Arabia. “I believe we’ll have the resources necessary to deter Iran from taking actions that will be dangerous,” he said, adding, “We will be able to respond effectively.”