The UN Preparatory Committee for the 2026 NPT Review Conference is holding its third session from April 28 to May 9 at UN Headquarters, chaired by Ghana’s Ambassador Harold Agyeman. As states gather to address nuclear challenges, Iran’s clerical regime faces mounting condemnation for accelerating its nuclear programme and obstructing oversight, amid warnings that Tehran’s defiance threatens global security and the non-proliferation regime.
“The EU is gravely concerned by the continued alarming expansion of Iran’s nuclear programme,” declared the European Union’s statement at the NPT Preparatory Committee, calling on Iran “to work with the [International Atomic Energy Agency] swiftly and substantially towards full compliance with its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement obligations.”
The criticism came amid reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lost continuity of knowledge over Iran’s nuclear activities due to Tehran’s obstruction. As the EU noted, the IAEA “is still not in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.”
The #IRGC Telegram post specifically lists the #Iranian regime’s nuclear capabilities, marking them with as follows:
✅Plutonium production capability
✅ Explosive mechanism construction capability
✅Explosion control chamber construction capability
✅Assembly and security… pic.twitter.com/HPSb76J50k— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 5, 2025
Echoing these concerns, the United States warned that Iran’s enrichment activities are now “at a level for which Iran has no credible civilian purpose.” U.S. envoy Paul Watzlavick underscored that “no other country in the world is enriching to this level that does not also possess nuclear weapons,” describing the regime’s actions as a direct challenge to the non-proliferation regime.
Australia joined the call for accountability, urging the regime in Iran “to address its continued failure to comply with its NPT Safeguards obligations.” Similarly, Bulgaria labeled the regime’s nuclear escalation and “lack of credible clarifications on outstanding safeguards issues… a matter of utmost concern,” demanding that Iran “return to meaningful cooperation with the IAEA.”
Czechia warned that Tehran’s actions “threaten the entire non-proliferation architecture,” while Ireland called on Iran to “fully engage and cooperate with the IAEA, including on outstanding nuclear safeguards issues.”
"#Iran is developing nuclear weapons with a range that can hit Europe using a North Korean design handed to Tehran. The NCRI, which in the past has revealed details of the mullahs' uranium enrichment facilities, has shared information on how the #IRGC is growing its arsenal,"… pic.twitter.com/SzPvuVx5YR
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 5, 2025
Spain, aligning with the European Union and Stockholm Initiative, issued a pointed demand: “We urge Iran to collaborate fully with the IAEA, to comply with its safeguards obligations by providing answers to pending substantive questions, and to continue with the diplomatic process aimed at reaching a constructive solution… to prevent the risk of a proliferation crisis in the region.”
Finland expressed concern that Iran’s behavior was feeding a wider proliferation threat, warning that “nuclear proliferation is against the interests of all states parties,” and calling for urgent action to “find a diplomatic solution to reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation.”
The Baltic States added that Iran’s “lack of transparency and cooperation with the IAEA pose serious concerns,” emphasizing that Iran must “restore transparency, fulfill its commitments, and engage constructively with the international community to uphold non-proliferation efforts.”
Soona Samsami:
– Shut down all nuclear sites, including uranium enrichment facilities.
– @iaeaorg must have unrestricted access to all nuclear facilities, declared and undeclared.
– Anything less would make inspections meaningless.#NuclearThreathttps://t.co/nU2yiZQzbG— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 31, 2025
New Zealand’s ambassador, Deborah Geels, framed Iran’s defiance as part of a broader global backsliding on disarmament and non-proliferation, warning that “concerns about lack of nuclear disarmament progress have led many NPT States Parties to now also join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”
As pressure mounts, Iran’s clerical regime faces an increasingly united front at the UN, demanding that Tehran halt its nuclear advances, fully comply with IAEA inspections, and return to the diplomatic process to avoid a deepening crisis.
Yet despite the unified message, Iran’s leadership continues to rebuff international oversight, raising fears that Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear capabilities is pushing the Middle East—and the world—closer to a dangerous tipping point.