Iran Elected NPT Review Conference Vice President; US Objects

The 11th review conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) opened at the United Nations headquarters in New York on April 27, 2026, with Iran elected as one of 34 vice presidents by the group of nonaligned and other states. The NPT, which entered into force in 1970, commits its 191 state parties—including nuclear powers the United States, China, Russia, Britain, and France—to negotiate toward eliminating their nuclear arsenals, while non-nuclear states pledge not to acquire such weapons in exchange for guarantees of peaceful nuclear energy development.

Iran was selected as a candidate from the Non-Aligned Movement, which comprises 121 mainly developing countries. According to Iran's deputy permanent representative to the U.N., Zahra Ershadi, the election reflects the treaty's inclusivity among member states.

The United States objected to Iran's role. Laura Kennedy, acting deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, told the conference that Iran's selection was an "affront" to the NPT. The U.S. received support from Australia and the United Arab Emirates, while the United Kingdom, France, and Germany expressed concern over Iran's participation as a vice president, according to statements at the conference.

Iran's ambassador, Reza Najafi, responded that the United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons, accused it of expanding its nuclear arsenal in violation of the treaty, and charged it with obstructing a Middle East free of nuclear weapons by supporting Israel.

Russian Ambassador-at-Large Andrey Belousov, head of Russia's delegation, objected to singling out Iran and expressed hope that the criticism and politicization would not affect the conference outcome.

At the opening session, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged treaty parties to stand together and safeguard humanity from the grave threat of nuclear annihilation. Guterres noted that for the first time in decades, the number of nuclear warheads is rising and nuclear testing is on the table, with more than 12,000 nuclear warheads globally according to reports.

The last NPT review conference, held in August 2022 after a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, failed to produce a final document when Russia blocked agreement over references to its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

Iran has enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels, according to International Atomic Energy Agency reports. Separately, on April 27, 2026, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

No publicly released evidence from the U.S. government has documented claims of Iran's direct violations of the NPT beyond uranium enrichment levels as of the conference date. The vessels involved in any related incidents have not been publicly identified by the U.S. government.