UN nuclear non-proliferation treaty review opens amid rising arms race fears

Signatories of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) began a review meeting on Monday at the United Nations in New York, as fears of a renewed arms race escalate. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that trust is wearing thin and the drivers of proliferation are accelerating. In 2022, during the last review, Guterres had cautioned that humanity was one misunderstanding away from nuclear annihilation. This year, he stated that the treaty has been eroding for too long, with commitments unfulfilled and credibility fading. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told signatories that the risk of nuclear proliferation has never been higher, citing threats from Iran and North Korea's programs as intolerable for all state parties. The meeting occurs amid heightened global geopolitical friction, casting doubt on what the gathering can achieve.