The decision signals a deep rupture in the already fragile global nuclear order. What makes this moment so alarming is not just the geopolitical tension it fuels but also the glaring double standards it exposes.
For years, Iran has been a party to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons or NPT.
In line with its legal obligations, it has allowed IAEA inspectors into its nuclear facilities and consistently stated at the United Nations and elsewhere that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have repeatedly declared nuclear weapons as haram (forbidden) under Islamic principles because they cause indiscriminate destruction.
And yet, despite signing the NPT and cooperating with global watchdogs, Iran continues to face harsh sanctions, diplomatic isolation and now physical sabotage due to its nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Israel, long believed to possess a nuclear arsenal, has never signed the NPT. Its nuclear programme remains beyond scrutiny, its facilities are not inspected and it faces no international sanctions or IAEA investigations.
This nuclear opacity is tolerated, if not tacitly encouraged, by Western powers that claim to uphold non-proliferation principles.
Let’s ask the hard question: Which of these two countries poses a greater risk to international peace and security?
Iran has not initiated a war in modern history. Israel has launched military operations across its region, from Lebanon and Syria to Gaza and Iraq.
Iran’s nuclear programme is monitored; Israel’s is not. Yet, it is Iran that is painted as the threat.
If Iran eventually withdraws from the NPT and begins developing nuclear weapons, the blame will not lie with it alone. It must be shared by those who weaponised the non-proliferation regime to target some states while shielding others.
This hypocrisy corrodes the integrity of international law. The NPT is built on three pillars – non-proliferation, disarmament, and the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Yet, nuclear-armed states have not disarmed, and non-nuclear states like Iran are punished even when they comply.
There is a way forward, one that demands honesty and universal responsibility. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), adopted by the UN in 2017, offers a path towards a world free of nuclear weapons. But none of the major nuclear powers have joined it. Instead, they cling to arsenals that they deny others.
Nuclear weapons are not tools of peace; they are instruments of mass death. As long as some states are allowed to keep them, the world will continue to move closer to catastrophe.
If we are serious about peace, then no country should be above the law. And the only sustainable global security is one without nuclear weapons, not one built on nuclear privilege.
BY PROF DR MOHAMMAD NAQIB EISHAN JAN Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws International Islamic University Malaysia
