Iran’s parliament chief warns of abandoning nuclear agreement if benefits don’t materialise

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, has suggested that Tehran could walk away from its nuclear memorandum of understanding if the country fails to gain tangible benefits from the agreement. Speaking on Wednesday, Qalibaf stated that Iran must utilise both diplomatic channels and negotiations to secure and protect its national interests. He emphasised that “a memorandum of understanding only gains meaning when its clauses are valid and implemented.”

The Iranian parliamentary leader’s comments represent a hardening of rhetoric around Iran’s compliance with the nuclear accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The agreement, reached in 2015, has been the subject of intense debate within Iran’s political establishment, particularly following the United States’ withdrawal from the deal in 2018 and the subsequent reimposition of American sanctions.

Qalibaf made clear that Iran would not maintain its commitments unilaterally if the deal fails to deliver promised advantages. “If Iran derives no benefit from it, then we—in accordance with an eye-for-an-eye policy—have no reason to continue being bound by such a memorandum,” he said. This conditional approach to compliance signals growing frustration among Iranian officials over the limited economic relief the country has received despite adhering to the agreement’s restrictions on its nuclear programme.

The parliament speaker framed Iran’s position within a broader geopolitical struggle, asserting that “we are engaged in an existential war with America whose goal is to overthrow our regime and partition our country.” This characterisation reflects Tehran’s view of the nuclear negotiations as part of a larger confrontation with Washington, rather than as an isolated technical agreement.

Source: Walla News — Original article in Hebrew.