Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is an international agreement that attempts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Its official name is the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The pact was approved by the United Nations in 1968 and went into effect in 1970. In 1995, the pact’s signers agreed to make the treaty permanent.
Under the treaty, nations with nuclear weapons agree not to help countries without such weapons to acquire them; to help nonnuclear-armed countries benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear energy; and to seek nuclear disarmament. Also, countries without nuclear weapons agree not to acquire nuclear weapons and to accept safeguards arranged by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The safeguards allow the IAEA to inspect nuclear facilities and materials in each country.
A vast majority of all countries have ratified the treaty, including such nuclear-armed nations as China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Some countries that have not agreed to the treaty either possess nuclear weapons or are able to produce them. These nations include India, Israel, and Pakistan. North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 2003 after revealing that it had a program to develop nuclear weapons. In 2006, the country tested a nuclear device, though experts believed the device was small. The test caused the United Nations to impose economic sanctions on North Korea. Another nation that has caused concern is Iran. Iran signed the treaty in 1968. In the early 2000’s. however, IAEA inspectors began investigating the country’s uranium-enrichment program. The IAEA feared the uranium was intended for weapons instead of energy purposes.
