UN nuclear nonproliferation talks conclude without consensus on Iran and disarmament

United Nations member states failed to reach an agreement after four weeks of negotiations on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament, the diplomat leading the talks confirmed in New York.

Do Hung Viet, who chaired the conference, said delegates were unable to agree on a final outcome document despite extensive discussions.

“Despite our best efforts… it is my understanding that the conference is not in a position to achieve agreement on its substantive work,” Viet told reporters.

“I do not intend to put the document forward for adoption,” he added.

According to a late draft seen by AFP, negotiators had included language stating that Iran must “never” develop nuclear weapons, although Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful.

The talks focused on reviewing the decades-old Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, under which 191 countries agreed to limit nuclear weapons to five recognised nuclear powers: the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom.

However, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea are also believed to possess nuclear weapons outside the treaty framework.

Data from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute showed that around 90 percent of the world’s 12,241 nuclear warheads were held by the US and Russia as of January 2025.