Iran slams US for 'obstructionism' as third round of UN nuclear talks end in deadlock
New York, May 23
Iran on Saturday accused the United States and its allies of 'obstructionism' after the third round of talks on the nuclear proliferation treaty torpedoed at the United Nations, with the delegates failing to adopt a final document amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran over the latter's nuclear program.
The remarks were shared by the Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN after the third round of the NPT Review Conference ended in a deadlock.
In a post on X, it said, "U.S. Excessive Demands Push the NPT into Free Fall. The NPT Review Conference failed for the third consecutive time due to obstructionism by the United States and its allies. Iran's warning: Without nuclear disarmament, no future can be envisaged for the NPT."
NHK Japan reported on Saturday that the delegates at the international conference on nuclear disarmament failed to adopt a final document amid ongoing tensions over Iran's nuclear programme with the United States.
The United States, across the top echelons of its leadership, time and again expressed that Iran can never develop nuclear weapons.
The recent impasse comes on the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which entered its last day on Friday.
The conference opened at UN headquarters in New York on April 27.
According to NHK Japan, a draft of the final document was revised four times, with many contentious phrases omitted. These included phrases referring to Ukraine's nuclear power plant and North Korea's denuclearisation.
The Japanese outlet further noted that behind-the-scenes negotiations continued as representatives of Iran demanded the removal of the expression that "Iran can never seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons," while the US maintained it should be retained.
Do Hung Viet, the president of the conference, said at Friday's meeting that no consensus was reached, calling it very regrettable as per NHK Japan.
It further reported that this is the third consecutive time that the NPT review conference, which is held every five years in principle, has failed to adopt a final document.
The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament, the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs noted.
It represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.
Opened for signature in 1968, the Treaty entered into force in 1970 and on 11 May 1995, the Treaty was extended indefinitely.
A total of 191 States have joined the Treaty, including the five nuclear-weapon States.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I work in international relations and this deadlock is embarrassing for everyone involved. The US wants to keep its nuclear arsenal while telling others they can't have it. Iran wants legitimacy without giving up anything. The real losers are the countries that genuinely want disarmament. 🙄
The double standards are staggering. America has thousands of nukes and lectures Iran about hypothetical ones. Meanwhile, they did a nuclear deal with India (which is great for us, btw) but won't extend similar courtesies to Iran. The NPT is dead, it just doesn't know it yet. 🎯
Interesting how the article mentions Ukraine and North Korea references were dropped. Shows the geopolitics at play. The US wants to focus on Iran while ignoring other violators. Iran isn't a saint here either - they've been less than transparent with IAEA for years. Both sides need to compromise.
As an Indian, I feel we have a unique perspective on this. We went through decades of nuclear apartheid, got the deal, and now we're the "responsible" nuclear power. The system is broken when it's based on who your friends are rather than actual non-proliferation goals. Iran's frustration is understandable even if their approach isn't always helpful.
There's a valid concern here though - if Iran gets nukes, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will want them too. Then we have a Middle East nuclear arms race. The US approach is heavy-handed, but completely abandoning non-proliferation isn't the answer either. We need a reformed NPT that applies equally to all. 🤔
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.