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

By R Anil Kumar

• Tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program escalated ahead of the Iran war, which began with joint US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28 this year

• There was no consensus among the 191 parties to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) on the substantially revised document

New York/Bengaluru, May 22, 2026. A United Nations conference reviewing the treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons concluded on May 22, however, without agreement as the United States and Iran sparred over the latter’s nuclear program.

Vietnam’s UN Ambassador Do Hung Viet, chair of the 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, announced that there was no consensus among the 191 parties to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) on the substantially revised document.

It was the third failure in a row at the review conference — the cornerstone of global non-proliferation and disarmament.

The Iranian embassy to the UN, New York blamed the US for the failure. Taking to X, it wrote: “The NPT Review Conference failed for the third consecutive time due to obstructionism by the United States and its allies.”

The Embassy also warned that without nuclear disarmament, “no future can be envisaged for the NPT.”

What does the final draft entail?

At the treaty review in August 2022, Russia blocked the agreement on a final document over its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and references to Moscow’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The final document, presented at the conference that began last month, called for “constructive dialogue on the basis of mutual respect and acknowledgement of each other’s security interests and concerns, to ease international tension, promote international peace and stability, enhance confidence and reduce strategic risks, and note that such engagement could facilitate future arms control discussions, and help progress towards nuclear disarmament ….”

It addressed the status of implementation and compliance with the NPT and future steps related to each of its three main components — nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy under effective safeguards against military diversion, Daryl Kimball, executive director of the US-based organization noted.

According to the Arms Control Association, chair Viet, in an attempt to reach consensus on core issues, pursued the relatively shorter draft, without invoking any names of countries, and sidelining some key issues.

These included the North Korean nuclear challenge, attacks on Ukrainian and Iranian nuclear facilities, and the growing discomfort with the extended nuclear deterrence practices of US allies.

Nevertheless, that was still not enough to achieve agreement among the treaty’s many states and their divergent views.

US-Iran nuclear chaos

Tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program escalated ahead of the Iran war, which began with joint US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28 this year.

The clash between US and Iran has continued since the conference began at the UN headquarters in New York on April 27. While US President Donald Trump has claimed the war aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, Iran has insisted it enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels, only for civilian purposes.

The US has also accused Iran of showing “contempt” for its commitments under the treaty, while Iran has said that US and Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities have violated international law.

Iran declines access to IAEA

Iran is a party to the NPT, which requires countries to open all nuclear sites for inspection by the UN nuclear watchdog agency.

However, Iran has not given inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency access to nuclear sites that were bombed by the US in June 2025.

In speeches at the end of the conference, the US called Iran a “prolific treaty violator” and said it had spent the conference “shirking accountability for its grotesque violations.”

Meanwhile, Iran has stayed firm in its accusations that the US and its allies are conducting a “relentless campaign” to legitimize their “unlawful attacks” on the country and its nuclear facilities.

What experts have to say?

The experts said the conference “showed that rhetorical support for the NPT is strong, but the foundations of the NPT are cracking due to inaction, inattention, and intransigence on the part of the major powers.

“Much more enlightened, engaged, and pragmatic leadership and diplomacy will be needed to guard against the growing risks of an unconstrained nuclear buildup, threats to resume nuclear testing, and the risk of a nuclear-armed Iran.

On the other hand, Britain’s Rebecca Johnson, founding executive director of the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, presented harsh criticism for both the US and Russia — the two largest nuclear powers in the world — which, she said, “double down on nuclear threats, blame others and try to undermine or ignore the NPT’s nuclear disarmament commitments and related agreements.”

Guterres expresses disappointment after failure to reach consensus on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The United Nations and the challenges in the world of nuclear weapons

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his disappointment at the failure of participating states to reach a consensus on strengthening the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). He emphasized that continued international disagreements threaten efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons globally.

Guterres stated that the NPT has been a cornerstone of the international security system for decades. He noted that any weakening of commitment to the treaty or setbacks in developing its mechanisms would increase instability and undermine trust among nations.

The Secretary-General called for the resumption of dialogue among the parties concerned and for efforts to overcome political differences. This is essential to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime and prevent the world from sliding into a new arms race.

He also stressed that the international community bears a collective responsibility to preserve the achievements of the Treaty. He added that it must work to strengthen monitoring and inspection mechanisms to ensure the peaceful use of nuclear energy and prevent its proliferation for military purposes.

These statements come amid stalled international negotiations on several issues related to nuclear security and growing calls to revive multilateral agreements.