Any Change to Iran Nuclear Deal Will Impact NPT

The nuclear accord between Iran and world powers is a very “important aspect” for the Non-Proliferation Treaty of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and any change to the accord would “have an impact” on it, said the chairman of the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 NPT Review Conference.

Henk Cor Van der Kwast made the statements in an interview with Sputnik on Saturday on the sidelines of the Moscow Nonproliferation Conference.

The official stressed that the deterioration of the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the nuclear deal is officially called, could impact the treaty. However, at present, it is too early to comment on the full implications of the issue.

Tensions around the accord signed in 2015 have escalated in recent weeks after the statement of US President Donald Trump that he would decertify Iran’s compliance with the deal, but stopped short of scrapping it altogether.

Trump said he might withdraw Washington from the accord, if the US Congress could not come up with a viable alternative.

The nuclear deal implies that after Iran fulfills its obligations, it will be able to develop its nuclear program within a peaceful framework. NPT is most often referred to as an international agreement that prevents countries from acquiring nuclear weapons. Its aim is also to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy with parties to the treaty contributing to this goal.

Thus, the effective implementation of JCPOA would enable Iran to enjoy its right of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the agreement.

The NPT came into effect in 1970 with the aim of preventing the spread of nukes and has been ratified by 190 governments. It recognizes five states as nuclear powers: China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom. India, Israel and Pakistan have not signed the treaty, while North Korea withdrew from it in 2003.

Every five years, parties to the NPT convene a conference to review its implementation.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Saturday warned about the US aggressive approach to the Iran nuclear deal, saying a possible unraveling of the international agreement would be tantamount to the collapse of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“If the JCPOA falls through, NPT would fall apart too because NPT directly concerns non-proliferation and access to a peaceful nuclear program,” Araqchi told a panel discussion on JCPOA on the margins of the Moscow conference.