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Several important countries have discussed breaching the international Non-Proliferation Treaty, the nuclear weapons watchdog has warned.
16:01, Wed, Apr 22, 2026 Updated: 16:01, Wed, Apr 22, 2026
Several important countries have discussed breaching the international Non-Proliferation Treaty (Image: Getty)
The world is facing a new nuclear arms race, the head of the United Nations' Atomic Agency has warned. The growing number of conflicts and instability around the world has meant that as many as 20 countries could pursue a nuclear bomb, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has said.
According to the nuclear weapons watchdog, several countries that had signed up to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), signed in 1968, had been discussing breaching the pact. "There's been a few important countries [...] in Europe, in Asia Minor, in the Far East that have mentioned [it] and where a public discussion is taking place about this possibility," he said. "There is talk about 'friendly proliferation'. There are all these things which fill me with concern because I believe that a world with 20 nuclear weapon states or more would be extremely dangerous."
Several countries have discussed breaching the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the IAEA's Grossi has warned (Image: Getty)
Under the landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, 191 countries vowed not to acquire the killer weapons. It also recognises that five nuclear-weapon states, which include the US, UK, Russia, Germany and France, are free not to transfer weapons technology.
Of the world’s 12,000 nuclear warheads, Russia and the US hold around 90% of them.
However, due to a "current atmosphere of fragmentation, conflict, polarisation," Mr Grossi warned that countries such as Poland, Japan and South Korea could leave the world in a "fragile" state, according to The Telegraph.
"At some point, we are going to see a crack in the system. And then we'll have a domino [effect]. It is a very, very fragile position."
The Trump administration has said that preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon is a key war aim (Image: Getty)
Mr Grossi's remarks come as US President Donald Trump announced that he would extend the ceasefire with Iran, set to expire on Wednesday evening, to allow the regime to create a "unified proposal" to end the war. Last week, the director general said that "very detailed" measures to verify Iran's nuclear activities must be included in any potential US-Iran agreement.
He also stressed the need for a thorough verification regime for Iran's nuclear programme, but it is unclear whether a second round of talks will take place.
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The Trump administration has said that preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon is a key war aim. Iran said previously that it is not developing such weapons, but rejected limits on its nuclear program.
"Iran has a very ambitious, wide nuclear program so all of that will require the presence of IAEA inspectors," Mr Grossi told reporters in Seoul, South Korea, last week. "Otherwise, you will not have an agreement. You will have an illusion of an agreement."
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