WANA (Aug 08) – Iran will place withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on its agenda if Europe activates the snapback mechanism, according to Salar Velayatmadar, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.

 

He said such a move “would have no effect on us,” but would trigger a decisive response from Tehran: “At that point, they will have to pursue us.” Velayatmadar also described Europe’s proposal to postpone the snapback deadline as a victory for Iran and a retreat by Europe.

 

“If we had not negotiated with the Europeans, we would not have reached this stage. They thought everything would be over in October, but now they know they have fired all the snapback bullets and their magazine is empty. They have done everything they could. Therefore, the proposal to delay the snapback is a retreat in order to talk to us. We told them no — it must end here,” he said, adding that so far, talks with Europe have benefited the Iranian people.

 

On possible negotiations with the United States, Velayatmadar stated that talks can take place only in two situations — from a position of weakness and defeat, or from a position of strength and victory — and that there is no third option.

 

“By the grace of God, based on evidence and even by their own admission, last week the U.S. ambassador to Iraq openly told Ammar al-Hakim that ‘We suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Islamic Republic,’ and he admitted that we are victorious,” he said.

 

He explained that, in principle, negotiation means dialogue, expressing viewpoints, and presenting solutions, and Iran is prepared to talk with everyone except “the corrupt Zionist regime.”

 

However, he questioned what kind of talks could be held with the United States, which, he said, betrayed Iran during wartime, sided with its enemies, and even directly committed aggression against the country.

 

Velayatmadar added that now, when Iran’s victory has been declared in public opinion, in international forums, and among the Iranian people, the U.S. should first be asked why it committed betrayal and aggression.

 

“We must not grant any concessions,” he stressed. Negotiations from a position of power, he said, are acceptable only if the Iranian negotiator is the “voice of the nation’s strength, he stated.”