Iran threatens to quit NPT if attacked

Any attack on Iran's nuclear facilities may lead to it withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a pact aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear arms, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Friday. He also suggested Iran could kick out IAEA inspectors and install its uranium enrichment centrifuges in "more secure" places. Asked about Soltanieh's comments, Israel's ambassador to the IAEA, Ehud Azoulay, said: "I believe that they are going to do it anyhow, in the near future, so I'm not surprised.

"When they make their first nuclear explosion they will have to withdraw, I believe," he told reporters, adding he thought Iran was "following the steps" of North Korea.