UN NPT Review Conference Ends Without Consensus for 3rd Time

A four-week United Nations conference reviewing the cornerstone treaty for nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament concluded on Friday without agreement, marking the third consecutive failure to produce a consensus document. The conference president, Vietnam’s U.N. Ambassador Do Hung Viet, announced he would not put a final draft forward for adoption, stating that despite extensive negotiations, the 191 parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) could not agree on substantive work.

The negotiations, which began on April 27, were marked by public clashes between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program. U.S. officials accused Iran of showing contempt for its treaty commitments, while Iranian representatives said U.S. and Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities violated international law. According to experts closely following the talks, this dispute was a primary obstacle to consensus.

A late draft of the document, seen by news agencies, contained bracketed text stating that Iran must never develop nuclear weapons, indicating unresolved disagreement. The draft also omitted previous expressions of concern about North Korea’s nuclear...