Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran

Tehran, Jun 16: In a dramatic escalation of tensions with Israel, Iran announced on Monday that its Parliament is drafting a bill to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a move that could have far-reaching consequences for nuclear stability in the region.

Despite the announcement, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed that Tehran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful energy and research purposes. He cited Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s long-standing religious ban on weapons of mass destruction.

However, the potential NPT withdrawal — unprecedented for Iran — signals growing frustration amid ongoing hostilities with Israel. Over the last three days, both countries have exchanged heavy missile fire, with Israel urging civilians near Iranian weapons sites to evacuate in anticipation of further strikes.

Since the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal after the U.S. withdrawal, Iran has ramped up uranium enrichment. The IAEA has warned that Tehran now has enough enriched material to build several nuclear weapons if it chooses to.

In a related development, Iran executed Esmaeil Fekri, accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad. He was convicted of “corruption on Earth” and “waging war against God,” and the sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court.

The conflict has already claimed hundreds of lives—at least 224 in Iran, including high-ranking officials and scientists, and 24 in Israel—heightening fears of a broader regional war and a potential nuclear crisis.