Presenter: NPT legally bars non-nuclear states from acquiring nuclear weapons, requires IAEA safeguards

A presenter outlined the primary legal constraint on a State attempting to develop nuclear weapons, citing the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). "According to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the NPT, non-nuclear weapon States parties undertake not to acquire any type of nuclear weapons, and also agree to international safeguards by the IAEA," the presenter said.

The presenter added that the NPT "is the only multilateral treaty that includes legally binding commitments for nuclear disarmament by the five nuclear-weapon States recognized in the treaty," framing the treaty as both a nonproliferation and disarmament instrument. The briefing noted that legal obligations under the NPT are reinforced by IAEA safeguards designed to verify peaceful use of nuclear materials.