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

FILE PHOTO: Iran's top nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi and EEAS Secretary General Helga Schmid attend a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria December 6, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Murphy

GENEVA (Reuters) - A U.S. envoy said on Tuesday that Iran would be sending a "very, very negative message" if it quits the 1970 global nuclear non-proliferation treaty after European countries accused it of violating a separate 2015 deal with world powers.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Monday that Tehran would withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if Europeans continued with what he called "their improper behaviour" or referred Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its alleged violations of the 2015 deal.