Conference at UN to review nuclear non-proliferation treaty fails to reach agreement

📌 Summary:

• A four-week UN conference reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ended on May 22 without agreement, as the United States and Iran clashed over Iran's nuclear programme

• Conference chair, Vietnam's UN Ambassador Do Hung Viet, said there was no consensus among the 191 NPT parties on even a watered-down final document; a key sticking point was a draft line that Iran "can never seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons"

• This was the third consecutive failure of an NPT review conference; at the 2022 review, Russia blocked the final document over references to its occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regretted the failure, urging all countries to use dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation to reduce nuclear risks

• The US accused Iran of "contempt" for its treaty commitments and called it a "prolific treaty violator"; Iran said US and Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities violated international law and demanded the two be condemned

• Iran is an NPT party and must open nuclear sites to IAEA inspection, but has barred inspectors from sites bombed by the US; it has enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels but insists its programme is civilian

• Experts warned the NPT's foundations are "cracking due to inaction, inattention and intransigence" by the major powers, raising risks of an unconstrained nuclear buildup and resumed nuclear testing

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 — international treaties and the global non-proliferation/disarmament regime; the role of the UN and IAEA; how great-power rivalry weakens multilateral institutions.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The NPT entered into force in 1970 and has 191 states parties; it is reviewed every five years

• The NPT rests on three pillars — non-proliferation, disarmament, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifies NPT compliance through safeguards inspections

🔑 Key Term: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) — a 1968 treaty (in force 1970) to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote disarmament, and allow peaceful nuclear use; India is not a signatory.