Iran's Hardline Lawmakers Push NPT Withdrawal Following Arak and Natanz Strikes

Iranian hardline lawmakers escalated pressure on the government on March 30 to withdraw Iran from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), following Israeli-US strikes on the Arak heavy water reactor, the Natanz enrichment facility, the Fordow deep facility, and the Yazd/Ardakan yellowcake plants. The NPT exit campaign is framed as both a deterrence signal — Iran would be free of IAEA inspections — and a retaliatory political gesture against the international community's perceived acquiescence in the dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program. The IAEA's Board of Governors convened an emergency session on March 30 to assess the status of Iran's nuclear facilities following four weeks of strikes. Iran's UN ambassador reiterated that the attacks constitute 'a war crime and a crime against humanity.'