An Iranian lawmaker said on September 12, 2026, that Tehran no longer regards the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as binding, a remark that came as Brent crude rose through $100 a barrel.
Mohammadreza Mohseni-Sani, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the Tehran outlet Didban Iran that Iran no longer treats the treaty as binding “whether by remaining in it or leaving it.” His committee handles nuclear policy. He said in March 2026 that a withdrawal bill could pass with strong support.
The comment came ten days into the current round of hostilities. US strikes on Iran resumed on September 2.
No formal notice of withdrawal has been filed with the treaty’s depositaries in Washington, London or Moscow. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has not published a matching statement. A committee member’s position is not a cabinet decision, and oil markets have reacted to Iranian rhetoric before.
The treaty, signed in 1968, commits non-nuclear-weapon states to refrain from building nuclear weapons in exchange for civilian nuclear technology. Iran has been a signatory since 1970.
Brent crude added $13.49 a barrel from $96.02 on September 1 to $109.51 on September 9. A Strait of Hormuz risk premium has pushed prices higher since March 2026, when tanker traffic through the strait was largely at a standstill. The rhetoric arrived into a market already repricing the conflict.
Gold moved against the usual pattern. It fell to $4,318.89 an ounce on September 11, down from $4,683.72 on August 25, even as war risk rose. Bitcoin closed at $77,231 on September 12, down from a $79,852 intraday high the previous day. The VIX closed at 17.84 on September 10, inside its 15-to-20 normal range.
Higher oil feeds headline inflation. Core consumer prices rose 0.3% month over month in August 2026, against 0.2% expected, leaving the Federal Reserve at a 3.75% upper bound, unchanged since December 2025. This round of hostilities follows earlier pauses, including a reported halt in US strikes in July during talks.
Until a formal withdrawal is filed at the depositaries, the lawmaker’s statement stays a talking point rather than policy.