Nuclear Non-Proliferation and the NPT Framework
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which entered into force in 1970, divides the world into Nuclear Weapon States (NWS — US, Russia, UK, France, China) and Non-Nuclear Weapon States (NNWS). Iran is a signatory as an NNWS.
- Under the NPT, NNWS commit to not acquiring nuclear weapons in exchange for access to peaceful nuclear technology and the disarmament commitments of NWS.
- The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 (US, UK, France, Russia, China + Germany), placed limits on Iran's enrichment levels and centrifuge numbers in exchange for sanctions relief.
- The US withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 under the Trump administration; Iran responded by gradually exceeding its JCPOA limits.
- India is not a signatory to the NPT but has signed the IAEA's Additional Protocol; it is party to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT — signed but not ratified) and maintains a voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing.
- A nuclear-armed or near-nuclear Iran would have direct security implications for India's neighbourhood, given the Pakistan-Iran border and India's interests in the wider West Asian security architecture.
● Tracked since March 02, 2026 · last seen April 28, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
See it in today’s brief.
Daily current affairs with every static concept explained in place.
Read the daily brief