Bringing Nuclear Disarmament to the Fore

In a clever move, the Iranian government has embraced the idea of nuclear disarmament –a global concern- to advance its peaceful nuclear program, using diplomatic gestures that send the West the message that Iran is ready to negotiate –albeit if global disarmament is also on the agenda.

After the Iranian delegation’s negotiations in New York during the NPT review conference two weeks ago, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki announced in Ankara that Iran is ready to resume talks with world powers in Turkey. We will have to wait and see how Iran’s message is actually translated into diplomatic interaction.

Iran’s call is clear: Article VI of the NPT Charter should be made binding on all signatories (Article VI: Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a Treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control). As President Ahmadinejad suggested at the UN NPT review conference, the NPT should change its name, and function, into the “DNPT” (Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Treaty)—in other words, disarmament should become as serious a commitment as non-proliferation.

Iran has suggested the formation of an independent NPT offshoot that includes Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) members. As the nuclear members of the NPT have always announced their readiness for disarmament—but with no clear deadline—the basic task of this organization should be to draw up a binding timetable for global disarmament.

Many of the treaties and conventions affecting and influencing today’s diplomacy have emerged out of raw ideas. Iran’s proposal may not be ultimately realized in the way it prefers, but it is nevertheless a coherent package that unlike other similar proposals is clear-cut, objective and inclusive. And its ultimate impact may not exactly correspond to Iran’s initial suggestion, but that is not the priority of our diplomatic apparatus. By putting forth the proposal, Iran intends to bring disarmament to the fore in global debates. The NPT may never turn into the “DNPT”, but its sixth article will no doubt undergo modifications.

Rahman Qahremanpour is a fellow researcher on disarmament in the Center for Strategic Research (csr.ir).