Dhaka, July 4 -- The Islamic Republic stands at a nuclear threshold. The prospect of Iran withdrawing from the nuclear nonproliferation treaty (NPT) as a response to the 12-day war may lead to the long-feared 'Persian bomb'. The NPT allows a member state to withdraw in the face of 'extraordinary circumstances'. Iran can evoke Israel's war of choice against the Islamic Republic as a situation which qualifies for an extraordinary withdrawal from the NPT.

In 2023, an Iranian nuclear administrator said "what does a car need? It needs a chassis, an engine, a steering wheel and a gearbox. You're asking if we have made the gearbox, I say yes. Have we made the engine? Yes, but each one serves its own purpose". Iran's Atomic Energy Organization h...