Iran backs nuclear treaty even as hardliners raise prospect of bomb

What the report says

Iran says it remains committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, even as domestic hardliners and some officials publicly revisit the idea of changing the country’s nuclear doctrine after US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the government has not suspended its NPT obligations, but argued that broader cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency is difficult while facilities have been attacked. The remarks come during ongoing mediated contacts aimed at preventing another wider conflict and reviving some form of nuclear diplomacy.

Al Jazeera reported that inspections have remained sharply limited, though Baghaei confirmed that IAEA inspectors recently visited the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the only Iranian nuclear site still open to agency access. The article says Bushehr was not directly bombed, unlike other sensitive locations including Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said the agency cannot fully verify Iran’s nuclear material because Tehran has not provided all requested information and access.

Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said Iran appears to be balancing between staying inside the treaty and preserving leverage over its most sensitive sites. Former Iranian nuclear negotiator Seyed Hossein Mousavian and International Crisis Group deputy director Ali Vaez both suggested that Tehran may view limited inspections as a tactical step rather than a full reopening. The reporting also notes that Iran continues to reject giving up enrichment altogether, while saying it could consider limits or downblending under international supervision if a broader deal is reached.