U.S. decries Iran threat to withdraw from global nuclear treaty

A U.S. envoy said on Tuesday that Iran's threat to quit the global nuclear treaty if European countries refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council after declaring it in violation of a 2015 pact would send a "very, very negative message". Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, in remarks carried by IRNA and other Iranian news agencies on Monday, said: "If the Europeans continue their improper behavior or send Iran's file to the Security Council, we will withdraw from the NPT."

Robert Wood, U.S. disarmament ambassador, noting talks set for April on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), told reporters in Geneva: "Here we are on the eve of a review conference that Iran is threatening to walk away from. "We think that Iran needs to end its malign behavior and sit down with the United States and negotiate an agreement that deals not only with the nuclear issue but also with the other issues that concern us like the ballistic missile proliferation and development and the malign activities around the world," he said.