UN Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference Opens; U.S., Iran Clash on Nuclear Program

The 11th Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty began on Monday, April 27, 2026, at the United Nations in New York, where Iran was elected as one of 34 vice presidents of the conference. Representatives from the United States and Iran lashed out during speeches at the UN, highlighting tensions over Tehran's nuclear program that escalated ahead of the Iran war.

The conference reviews the implementation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which has 191 parties and took effect in 1970, with such reviews occurring every five years.

Iran, a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, was a candidate of the nonaligned movement, made up of 121 mainly developing countries. President Donald Trump vowed to ensure Iran cannot build an atomic weapon.

S. lifted its blockade of Iranian shipping and ended the war, while delaying talks about the nuclear program. N. nuclear agency. S. last June. S. assistant secretary of state for arms control and nonproliferation, said that Iran has shown contempt for its commitments under the treaty.

“Rather than choosing to use this review conference to defend the integrity of the NPT and call Iran to account, we instead elect Iran a vice president. It is beyond shameful and an embarrassment to the credibility of this conference,” the U.S. official said. The United States was backed by Australia and the United Arab Emirates in its position.

The United Kingdom, France, and Germany expressed concern over Iran's nuclear program. The United Kingdom, France, and Germany are parties to the 2015 nuclear deal to curb Iran's nuclear program. U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018.

Iranian representatives called U.S. allegations baseless and politically motivated. Iranian official said the United States was the only country to use nuclear weapons. The official accused the United States of expanding its nuclear arsenal in violation of the treaty.

The official accused the United States of obstructing progress toward a Middle East free of nuclear weapons by supporting Israel. U.S. and Israeli attacks twice in less than a year on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities are a grave violation of international law and a direct assault on the integrity of the global nonproliferation regime,” the official said.

Russian Ambassador-at-Large Andrey Belousov, head of Russia's delegation, objected to singling out Iran. Belousov expressed hope that the criticism and politicization starting on day one will not affect the outcome of the conference. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, April 27, 2026, according to Tass.

At the last treaty review conference in August 2022, which was delayed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia blocked agreement on a final document. Russia blocked agreement over its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and references to Moscow’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and shelling at Europe’s largest nuclear power facility.

Secretary-General António Guterres urged the treaty parties to stand together and safeguard humanity from the grave threat of nuclear annihilation. Guterres said that for the first time in decades, the number of nuclear warheads is rising and nuclear testing is on the table.

Guterres urged countries in the new technological era of artificial intelligence and quantum computing to ensure that, until nuclear weapons are eliminated, humanity never cedes control over their use.

China, Russia, Britain, and France—agreed to negotiate toward eliminating their arsenals someday. Under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, nations without nuclear weapons promised not to acquire them in exchange for a guarantee to be able to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told signatories that never has the risk of nuclear proliferation been so high and the threat posed by Iran’s and North Korea’s programmes is intolerable for each and every state party to this treaty.

North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 2003. North Korea's nuclear arsenal is now estimated at several dozen warheads, according to figures released by the International Atomic Energy Agency.