TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) -- Political analyst Ali Bigdeli said here on Monday that both the United States and the European Union (EU) are demanding that Iran sign the additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), adding that this shows that the EU is going along with U.S. policy.

In an interview with the Mehr News Agency, Bigdeli added that the EU has set four conditions for expansion of relations with Iran which it regards as prerequisites to the signing of an Iran-EU trade agreement.

He stated that this is economically and politically very significant since the Iranian economy is, to some extent, connected to the EU economy, and also because the EU might then support Iran in the international arena, especially in regard to U.S. threats.

He went on to say that the EU and the U.S. are ultimately strategic partners, adding that the EU will not abandon the interests that it has in common with the U.S. in order to improve relations with Iran.

Bigdeli said that the first condition set by the EU is that Iran should give it assurances that it will not develop nuclear weapons because their officials believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran is on the verge of producing nuclear weapons and could become a nuclear power in the next two years.

“The second EU demand is that Iran should go along with the Palestinian-Israeli peace process,” he added.

Strict observation of all human rights regulations and discontinuing support of terrorists are the other EU demands, he said.

Bigdeli stressed that these are exactly the same conditions set by the United States as prerequisites to a resumption of ties with Iran.

On whether Iran should sign the additional protocol to the NPT, he said that the EU demand and the extent of pressure that could be applied on the country should be taken into consideration, adding that this is an important matter which should be thoroughly and properly studied. He said that signing the additional protocol to the NPT is in Iran's national interests, adding, “If we withdraw from the treaty, we will face economic and political isolation."

He stated that Iran will not be allowed to do this, saying that if Iran withdrew from the treaty the U.S. might carry out a military action against the country, using the UN Charter to justify the action.

Bigdeli noted that withdrawing from the treaty would legitimize the assertions of the EU and the West, which could then claim that Iran possesses facilities for producing nuclear weapons and has withdrawn from the treaty for that reason. He asserted, "There has been a secret agreement between the EU and the U.S. We had better not risk political maneuvers. Our political structure should be harmonized with the international structure. Our main problems are that we have internal political disagreements and our foreign policy is not in harmony with the international system."

In conclusion he said that, on the other, hand, the EU is trying to become a political pole independent of the U.S. with its own identity and voice, and Iran should take advantage of this opportunity.