Why in the News?
Amid intensifying war with Israel, Iran’s Parliament began drafting a Bill to exit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
About Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT):
- Overview: It is a global agreement aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, promoting peaceful nuclear energy, and advancing nuclear disarmament.
- Enforcement: It was opened for signature on June 12, 1968, and came into force on March 5, 1970.
- Nature of the Treaty: It is the only binding international treaty that requires NWS to pursue disarmament.
- Categorization of States: The treaty distinguishes between Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) and Non-Nuclear Weapon States (Non-NWS).
- Key Features:
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- Definition of NWS: Countries that had tested nuclear weapons before January 1, 1967 (US, UK, France, Russia, China).
- Obligations: NNWS agree not to manufacture or acquire nuclear weapons; NWS pledge not to transfer nuclear weapons or assist non-NWS in acquiring them.
- Peaceful Use Clause: All parties are allowed to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, under IAEA safeguards.
- Monitoring Agency: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifies compliance through inspections and reporting.
- Withdrawal Clause: Article 10 allows a country to withdraw with 3 months’ notice if national interests are jeopardized.
India and NPT:
- India is NOT a signatory to the NPT and has consistently refused to join, calling it discriminatory.
- India argues that the treaty legitimizes nuclear weapons in the hands of five countries while denying them to others.
- India conducted its first nuclear test in 1974 (Smiling Buddha) and maintains a “No First Use” policy.
- Despite being outside the NPT, India is regarded as a responsible nuclear power and adheres to non-proliferation norms.
Non-members of NPT, Countries Planning to Leave:
- Non-signatories:
- India and Pakistan have never signed the treaty, but both possess nuclear weapons.
- Israel is also a non-signatory and maintains strategic ambiguity about its nuclear weapons.
- South Sudan remains a non-signatory without known nuclear ambitions.
- Countries that withdrew or are planning to:
- North Korea signed in 1985, withdrew in 2003, and went on to develop nuclear weapons.
- Iran, though a signatory since 1970, has recently threatened to withdraw, citing IAEA censure and security concerns linked to its tensions with Israel.
- If Iran leaves, it would end IAEA inspections and raise fears of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
| [UPSC 2018] What is/are the consequence/consequences of a country becoming the member of the ‘Nuclear Suppliers Group’?
1. It will have access to the latest and most efficient nuclear technologies. 2. It automatically becomes a member of “The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)”. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Options: (a) 1 only* (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 |
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