Christopher Yeaw, U.S. assistant secretary of state for arms control and nonproliferation, said the decision was ‘beyond shameful.’
The United States objected strongly after Iran was selected as one of the 34 vice presidents of the United Nations Nonproliferation Treaty conference on April 27.
Iran was a candidate proposed by the Non-Aligned Movement, made up of 121 developing countries, most of which are in Africa and Asia.
The conference, held every five years since 1970, involves all 191 parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) reviewing its implementation.
Under the terms of the NPT, Iran is obliged to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a U.N. agency, but it has not given IAEA inspectors access to nuclear sites since they were bombed by the United States in June 2025.
Christopher Yeaw, U.S. assistant secretary of state for arms control and nonproliferation, said it was “indisputable that Iran has long demonstrated its contempt for the non-proliferation commitments of the NPT.”
“Rather than choosing to use this review conference to defend the integrity of the NPT and call Iran to account, we instead elect Iran a vice president,” Yeaw said. “It is beyond shameful and an embarrassment to the credibility of this conference.”
Australia, UAE Back the US
The U.S. position was supported by Australia and the United Arab Emirates, while the UK, France, and Germany expressed “concern.”
The UK, France, and Germany—collectively known as the E3—were signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), negotiated by the Obama administration, which was designed to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
The chair of the conference, the Vietnamese ambassador to the U.N., Do Hung Viet, said the objections and reservations expressed would be duly recorded in the meeting minutes.
The Iranian ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna, Reza Najafi, said Washington’s allegations were “baseless and politically motivated,” and declared Iran’s opposition to the United States being one of the 34 NPT conference vice presidents.
The documents for the conference, which is due to last until May 22, include a reference to a working paper submitted by Iran, which called for the “establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.”
U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, the U.N. snapback mechanism was triggered in September 2025, and an arms embargo was reimposed on Iran.
The documents for the conference, which is due to last until May 22, include a reference to a working paper submitted by Iran, which called for the “establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.”
U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, the U.N. snapback mechanism was triggered in September 2025, and an arms embargo was reimposed on Iran.
The U.N.’s website states, “The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament.”
In a statement to the 35-nation board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on June 9, Director General Rafael Grossi said he was seriously concerned about Iran’s “rapid accumulation of highly enriched uranium.”
On June 12, 2025, the IAEA board passed a resolution declaring Iran noncompliant and in breach of its obligations under the NPT.
