U.S.-Iran tensions overshadow UN nuclear nonproliferation meeting

Delegates from the United States and Iran traded barbs at the beginning of the United Nations’ 11th conference to review its 1970 nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The U.S. delegate said Iran’s candidacy for vice president of the conference’s General Committee was an affront to the treaty. Iran could not be a leader in nonproliferation since its nuclear program violated the treaty, he said. Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates also raised objections.

Iran’s delegate said the allegations were baseless and characterized them as an attempt to manipulate the conference. He accused the United States of expanding its nuclear arsenal in violation of its treaty obligations. Russia’s representative also chimed in, saying the United States was trying to needlessly politicize the conference. The conference president, Do Hung Viet of Vietnam, eventually said the countries objecting to Iran’s candidacy agreed to formally disassociate themselves from the decision, rather than call for a vote.

What did UN Secretary General António Guterres say in his opening remarks at the conference? Countries around the world seemed to be forgetting the great harms of nuclear warfare, he said. The treaty was rapidly eroding as some failed to keep their commitments, he said. He urged the delegates attending the conference to commit to stronger oversight from the International Atomic Energy Agency and discuss how the treaty should apply to an age of artificial intelligence. Only humans should have control of nuclear weapons, he said.

Previous conferences in 2022 and 2015 failed to reach any consensus on any updates to the treaty, according to the UN.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the Iranian foreign minister’s visits to allies including Russia.