Tehran, July 21: Iran today said it does not intend to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but still refuses to sign an additional protocol providing for surprise inspections of its nuclear programme. "Withdrawing from NPT is not on the agenda and Iran abides by its obligations" under the treaty and remains "loyal", foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference. "But for the moment, the question of signing the additional protocol is not on the agenda," he said, adding that however Iran had "a positive approach" about the protocol. "Signing the additional protocol is a national decision based on a general consensus by the supreme council of national security and parliament's approval," he said.
Iran is under mounting international pressure over its suspect nuclear programme, and facing demands from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Mohammed Elbaradei to allow surprise inspections of suspect facilities.
Bureau Report