French President Emmanuel Macron has stressed the urgent need for the international community to prevent Iran from exiting the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), amid rising tensions following strikes on Iranian nuclear sites by the US and Israel.
In the aftermath of those attacks, several Iranian lawmakers have raised the possibility of Tehran withdrawing from the treaty, which bans signatories from developing nuclear weapons.
Macron acknowledged that the recent military actions had been “effective,” but cautioned that Iran abandoning the NPT would be the most dangerous outcome. “The worst-case scenario would be Iran’s departure from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, leading to increased instability and a weakened global nonproliferation framework,” he said following an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.
He added that France seeks to foster alignment among key global powers, stating, “Our goal is a unified position to prevent Iran from restarting nuclear weapons-related activity.”
Macron also revealed plans for discussions with the other permanent members of the UN Security Council — the US, UK, Russia, and China — and confirmed he had updated US President Donald Trump on France’s latest diplomatic exchanges with Iran.
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), echoed Macron’s concerns, saying it would be “very unfortunate” if Iran were to abandon the treaty.
Iranian parliamentarian Abbas Golroo declared on June 22, the day US forces targeted three of Iran’s nuclear sites including the Fordow enrichment facility, that Tehran has “a legal basis” to withdraw from the NPT. He later confirmed that lawmakers would soon deliberate on whether to continue honoring the treaty.
Following Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s criticism of the IAEA for not strongly condemning the attacks, the Iranian parliament also voted to halt further cooperation with the agency.
Iran insists that its nuclear program is peaceful and lawful, emphasizing its right to enrich uranium for civilian use — a claim that remains central to the growing international dispute.
