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Iran

Iran voted in favour of adopting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the UN negotiating conference in 2017 and has consistently voted in favour of the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2024. Iran may sign and ratify or accede to the TPNW at any time, but it will need to take steps to ensure its full compliance with the Treaty, in particular the prohibition on the development of nuclear weapons. Any concerns by TPNW states parties in relation to Iran’s nuclear activities could be addressed at meetings of states parties.

TPNW Status

SIGNATURE
DEPOSIT WITH UNSG
ENTRY INTO FORCE
DECLARATION
Key weapons of mass destruction treaties
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Party to the TPNW No
Party to the NPT Yes (Ratified 1970)
Ratified the CTBT No (Signed 1996, Annex 2 state)
Party to an NWFZ No
CSA with the IAEA Yes (In force 1974)
AP with the IAEA No (Signed 2003)
BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Party to the BWC Yes (Ratified 1973)
Party to the CWC Yes (Ratified 1997)
TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2024
(a) Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire Of concern
Possess or stockpile Compatible
Test Compatible
(b) Transfer Compatible
(c) Receive transfer or control Compatible
(d) Use Compatible
Threaten to use Compatible
(e) Assist, encourage or induce Compatible
(f) Seek or receive assistance Compatible
(g) Allow stationing, installation, deployment Compatible
TPNW voting and participation
UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) Voted yes (2024)
Participated in 2MSP (2023) No
Participated in 1MSP (2022) No
Average MSP delegation size (% women) N/A
Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) Voted yes
Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) Yes
Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) Voted yes
Fissile material
Nuclear facilities Yes
Fissile material production Yes (Civilian)
HEU stocks >1 ton
Plutonium stocks No
SQP with the IAEA No

Latest developments

As Iran continued to stockpile highly enriched uranium in 2024, many states expressed concerns that its nuclear programme, rather than being exclusively peaceful in nature as it claims, could be aimed at eventually developing nuclear weapons. These concerns grew louder throughout the year as Iran’s conflict with Israel escalated, with a series of direct confrontations between the two countries. According to the US government, however, there was no evidence as of October 2024 that Iran had decided to build nuclear weapons.1

In November 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, said that ‘[n]uclear weapons have no place in our security calculations’. However, he warned that, if Western countries were to impose sanctions on Iran as they had done in the past, the debate within his country would shift towards developing nuclear weapons. Ultimately, it would be up to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to decide whether to rescind the long-standing fatwa against the possession of nuclear weapons, he noted.2

At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Iran criticised nuclear-armed states for their failure to pursue nuclear disarmament. ‘Based on past performance and present plans, nuclear-weapon states appear to treat the disarmament directive of Article VI [of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)] as merely a feel-good suggestion,’ it said.3

In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Iran accused all states that ‘rely on the extended nuclear deterrence provided by the US’, including those that host US nuclear weapons on their territories, of ‘violating their legally binding obligations under the NPT’. Furthermore, it said that the AUKUS partnership among the US, the UK and Australia makes a ‘mockery of the international non-proliferation regime’.4

At the same meeting, Iran said that the TPNW ‘aligns with our principled stance on nuclear disarmament’. ‘The adoption of this Treaty [in 2017] is a positive step forward and we continue to support its objective,’ it added. ‘The TPNW complements the NPT, but it must be followed by urgent negotiations for a comprehensive convention to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons in a verifiable and irreversible manner.’5

Recommendations

  • Iran should return to implementation of its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

  • Iran should urgently adhere to the TPNW.

  • Iran should bring into force its Additional Protocol (AP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

  • Iran should ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

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