Digests and Blog

Inside ACAJune 2026After weeks of tough negotiations and debate, diplomats at the pivotal 11th nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference failed to reach consensus on a modest outcome document that reaffirmed consensus-based commitments on nonproliferation and disarmament made at the 1995, 2000, and 2010 Review Conferences.The five nuclear-armed states thwarted the demands of the majority of non-nuclear weapon states and civil society organizations, including ACA, for meaningful language calling for concrete steps to advance negotiations on nuclear disarmament, as Article VI of…

June 16, 2026The April 28-May 22 nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference failed to adopt a final consensus document on May 22 after conference president Ambassador Do Hung Viet withheld the final document for debate due to unresolvable disagreements over how to address Iran’s nuclear program and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. This marks the third straight failure of the NPT review process.The conference, which takes place every five years, involved some 130 states-parties. The review conferences aim to review NPT commitments, reaffirm support for the treaty, and create a…

Statement by Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation PolicyFor immediate release: June 15, 2026Media Contacts: Kelsey Davenport (202-463-8270 ext 102); Daryl G. Kimball (202)-463-8270 ext. 107)Reports that the United States and Iran finalized a preliminary deal to halt the war is a welcome development that creates a pathway for resuming negotiations on Iran's nuclear program that were underway when the United States and Israel launched their illegal attack on Iran on February 28.Washington and Tehran must now capitalize on this diplomatic momentum to reach an effective, verifiable…

UPDATE: As expected, on May 18, the conference president issued his Rev. 2 draft outcome document, which is online here.Amb. Do Hung Viet, President of the 11th NPT Review Conference, circulated an updated Draft Outcome Document to states parties on the evening of May 13. The revised draft text, dubbed Rev. 1, was generally similar in style and structure, was slightly longer at 14 pages due to a few more additions than subtractions as the President, with the help of the secretariat, it sought to incorporate suggestions and criticisms of the zero draft from states parties.Upon circulating the…

The Pentagon’s plans for future nuclear weapons delivery systems are coming sharply into focus with this year’s budget request. In all the coverage of the exorbitant $1.5 trillion defense top-line, analysts have so far overlooked an important development: clear signs that the next generation of U.S. nuclear weapons delivery systems will be non-ballistic hypersonic missiles and reentry vehicles.It’s not just the Pentagon’s budget justification documents that provide evidence for this plan. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has also indicated that it is…

May 11, 2026On May 6, Amb. Do Hung Viet, the President of the 11th NPT Review Conference, circulated a relatively concise 13-page "zero draft" of the final conference document and invited states parties to begin offering their feedback. The document was put forward for review just 10 days into the month-long meeting and it takes a focused approach to each of the several major elements of the treaty and the dozens of issues that were raised in general debate statements in the previous days.Viet's zero draft is written in an economical style that seeks to focus on key principles and objectives…

As diplomats in New York reach the end of the first week of the four week-long Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference (NPT RevCon), the meeting is on schedule and on course but it remains highly uncertain whether they can navigate a safe course through a large array of contested issues to arrive at a consensus final document that bolsters and reaffirms support for the treaty and charts out concrete action step for the next five years.At the onset of the meeting, the United States delegation offered a lengthy objection to the nomination of Iran as a vice president of the conference…

*The Japanese language version of this essay will be published in the Peace Depot's journal "Voice for Peace"(See: http://www.peacedepot.org/dp_report_cat/info/)by Daryl G. Kimball, Executive DirectorSince the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) entered into force in 1970, the United States and Russia have negotiated agreements that have set verifiable limits on their deadly long-range nuclear arsenals and intermediate-range systems to mitigate the dangers of nuclear arms racing and nuclear war. The process has reduced nuclear dangers, reduced the size of their deadly arsenals and partially…

Inside ACAMay 2026The 1968 nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) has served as the essential framework and catalyst, albeit an imperfect one, for global efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, end nuclear testing, and advance disarmament diplomacy to help achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. Since ACA’s founding in 1972, a key focus of our work has been to promote implementation of and compliance with the ambitious goals and objectives of the NPT.Five decades ago, in 1974, ACA and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace held a special conference in France to prepare for the…

As U.S. and Iranian negotiators consider returning to Islamabad for a second round of talks, it is clear that Washington and Tehran remain far apart on key nuclear issues. With pragmatic diplomacy and the political will to compromise, the United States and Iran can negotiate mutually acceptable provisions to address existing flashpoints, such as the disposition of Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade level and the length of a moratorium on nuclear activities, particularly uranium enrichment. But the nonproliferation value of any nuclear limitations will be minimal…