Iran’s positions at the NPT Review Conference are rational. Ignoring them would weaken the treaty

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists  |  Syed Ali Zia Jaffery

Iran's consistent positions at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, articulated in several working papers, advocate for the condemnation and legal accountability of attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities, provision of negative security assurances, nuclear disarmament, the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, and the inalienable right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The article highlights recent US-Israeli strikes on Iranian safeguarded nuclear facilities, including Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan, and near the Bushehr nuclear power plant in 2025 and 2026, as actions that significantly undermine the NPT's credibility. These attacks, interpreted as an escalatory and illegal action, demonstrate that an NPT non-nuclear-weapon state's installations are vulnerable to both non-NPT nuclear-armed states and NPT nuclear-weapon states. Ignoring Iran's "rational" demands, particularly regarding the protection of its nuclear infrastructure, risks weakening the treaty's foundational principles and its ability to ensure international security and non-proliferation, as well as violating the treaty’s preamble.

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