The United Nations conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ended without consensus, partly due to Washington’s attempt to use the forum to address Iran’s nuclear program, according to a US-based nonprofit observer group. The Arms Control Association (ACA) stated that the failure to reach an agreement means there is now no mutually accepted limit on the size of Russian and American nuclear arsenals for the first time since 1972.

ACA Executive Director Daryl Kimball said that NPT member states missed a crucial opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to the treaty’s principles and goals at a time of rising nuclear risks. He noted that the ongoing dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities, complicated by the US withdrawal from the 2018 nuclear deal, could not be resolved within the NPT review framework.

Kimball added that the future of Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran insists is for civilian purposes, must be addressed through more sustainable diplomacy outside the United Nations process.