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Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
What is the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?
An IAEA flag flutters in front of the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl Iran said on Monday its parliament was preparing a bill that could push the Islamic Republic towards exiting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel began military strikes on Iran on June 13, citing concerns over its nuclear programme, one day after the U.N. nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors declared Tehran in breach of its obligations under the NPT. Iran, which denies trying to develop nuclear arms, has fired missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel's strikes. Below are some key facts about the treaty. PURPOSE OF THE NPT The objective of the treaty, which took effect in 1970, is to halt the spread of nuclear weapons-making capability, guarantee the right of all members to develop nuclear energy for peaceful ends and - for the original five nuclear weapons powers - to phase out their arsenals. The treaty defines nuclear-armed states as those that 'manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear device prior to January 1, 1967. They are the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, which assumed rights and obligations from the former Soviet Union. Those five nations are the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. SIGNATORIES A total of 191 countries are party to the NPT. Nuclear weapons states agree not to transfer those weapons or to help non-nuclear states obtain them. NON-SIGNATORIES: Two non-signatories, India and Pakistan, developed nuclear weapons. Another, Israel, is widely assumed to have a nuclear arsenal but has not confirmed or denied it publicly. North Korea signed the treaty in 1985 but announced its withdrawal in 2003 after U.S. officials confronted it with evidence they said pointed to a covert enrichment program. After a rapprochement, North Korea expelled IAEA inspectors again in 2009, and they have not returned since. ESCAPE CLAUSE The treaty is divided into 11 articles, including one that enables a state to withdraw '"if it decides that extraordinary events ... have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country". A state must give three months' notice to other treaty members and the U.N. Security Council. TREATY REVIEWS States that are party to the NPT meet to review it every five years. The next review conference is due to be held in 2026. IRAN Iran has been a non-nuclear-weapon signatory to the NPT since 1970. It has a uranium enrichment program that it says is for peaceful purposes, not developing weapons, but Western powers and Israel suspect it intends to develop the means to make atomic bombs. The declaration by the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors on June 13 that Iran is in breach of its non-proliferation obligations was the first such decision in almost 20 years and followed a damning report that the IAEA sent to member states on May 31. The resolution adopted by the board cited Tehran's "many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran". ISSUES OF CONCERN A central issue of concern for the IAEA is Iran's failure to provide credible explanations of how uranium traces detected atundeclared sites in Iran came to be there despite the agencyhaving investigated the issue for years. The IAEA believes they mostly point to activities carried out more than 20 years ago. Iran's foreign ministry and atomic energy organisation said in response that the Islamic Republic had always adhered to its safeguards obligations. They said the IAEA's findings were politically motivated and lacked technical or legal foundation. Asked at a press conference about Tehran potentially leaving the NPT, a foreign ministry spokesperson reiterated Tehran's official stance against developing nuclear weapons but said: "In light of recent developments, we will take an appropriate decision. Government has to enforce parliament bills but such a proposal is just being prepared and we will coordinate in the later stages with parliament." NUCLEAR SANCTIONS Sanctions were imposed on Iran in 2006 after it failed to comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding a halt to its uranium enrichment programme. Iran agreed to restrain its nuclear program, while still enriching to a low level, in return for relief from economic sanctions under a deal reached with six major powers in 2015, but President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement in 2018, reimposing U.S. sanctions. Iran subsequently retaliated by ramping up its nuclear programme, abandoning the restrictions imposed by the deal. Iran and the United States have engaged in indirect talks since April to try to impose fresh restrictions on Iran's atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
GMA Network
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Eurovision winner JJ wants Israel excluded from 2026 contest over Gaza
"It is very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the contest. I would like the next Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel," the 24-year-old JJ was quoted by Spanish newspaper El Pais as saying. REUTERS/ Elisabeth Mandl/ File photo MADRID — Fil-Austrian singer JJ, who won this year's Eurovision song contest, called in an interview published on Thursday for Israel to be excluded from the 2026 edition in Vienna due to its military assault on Gaza. Eurovision, which stresses its political neutrality, faced controversy again this year linked to the war. An Israeli military campaign has killed over 53,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the enclave's health authorities say, since Hamas militants' cross-border attack on October 7, 2023 that killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Pro-Palestinian groups had urged the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Israel from the 2025 contest, yet Israel's Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 attack, emerged as the winner of the televote, finishing second overall after JJ. "It is very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the contest. I would like the next Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel," the 24-year-old JJ was quoted by Spanish newspaper El Pais as saying. The Israeli embassy in Madrid did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. With his song "Wasted Love," the operatic singer—whose real name is Johannes Pietsch—won the Eurovision jury vote at the contest held in Basel, Switzerland. Though El Pais did not mention the war in the interview, JJ's remarks chimed with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's call on Monday for the exclusion of Israel from cultural events such as Eurovision over the conflict in Gaza. JJ also said the vote-counting system should be revised to improve transparency. He was the third Austrian winner of the contest, which has become the world's biggest music competition, watched by more than 160 million people around the globe. Israel's entrant, Raphael, was at the Nova music festival near the Gaza border during the Hamas attack. — Reuters
GMA Network
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Fil-Austrian Eurovision winner JJ receives hero's welcome in Vienna
JJ, representing Austria, winner of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, arrives at Vienna International airport in Schwechat, Austria, May 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Elisabeth Mandl SCHWECHAT, Austria — Austrian singer JJ returned to Vienna on Sunday to a hero's welcome, greeted by hundreds of cheering fans after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel. The 24-year-old countertenor, who performed under his stage name but whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, stepped off the plane clutching a bouquet of red roses and his trophy, smiling as supporters pressed against security barriers to get a glimpse. Inside the arrivals hall, the crowd erupted as JJ raised his trophy and thanked fans for believing in him. "Thank you all for coming. Thank you for believing in me and for being so kind," he told the crowd, his voice thick with emotion. Supporters waved heart-shaped balloons and rainbow flags as his winning song, "Wasted Love," played over the loudspeakers. JJ, representing Austria, winner of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, poses with supporters upon arrival at Vienna International airport in Schwechat, Austria, May 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Elisabeth Mandl JJ, representing Austria, winner of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, reacts upon arrival at Vienna International airport in Schwechat, Austria, May 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Elisabeth Mandl JJ, representing Austria, winner of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, attends a press conference in Vienna, Austria, May 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Elisabeth Mandl "I watched the reactions on social media and everyone was stunned by his voice, in America, in Australia, everywhere," said Samira Kalmar, 52, who said she had never doubted he would win. Barbara Mayer, 53, who came with her two daughters, also praised the artist whose performance, reaching soprano highs between ballad refrains before culminating in a techno finale, won over the audience. "The opera reminded people of Vienna, but there was also a modern component and good staging," she said. Pietsch will be honoured at the chancellery on Monday, where Chancellor Christian Stocker will receive him in the morning, having praised his "magnificent achievement" the previous day. Vienna's mayor, Michael Ludwig, said the city was ready to host Eurovision, although other cities, including Innsbruck in Tyrol, are also contenders -- particularly after Basel showed the contest need not always take place in a capital. At the public broadcaster ORF however, there are concerns about the high cost of staging Eurovision at a time when the organisation is facing budget cuts and Austria's finances remain tight. In Switzerland, the cost was estimated at several tens of millions of euros, with expenses shared between public television, the host city, and other partners. The Austrian government has sought to reassure the public. Culture and Media Minister Andreas Babler expressed confidence that a "solution will be found" to organise the event. bg/srg/jj © Agence France-Presse
