Iran Ratifies the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Iran formally ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on March 5, 1970, the same day the treaty entered into force internationally. As a non-nuclear-weapon state signatory, Iran accepted IAEA safeguards and committed not to develop nuclear weapons. Article IV of the treaty simultaneously guaranteed Iran an inalienable right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes — the same clause Tehran would cite more than five decades later to resist U.S. demands during ceasefire negotiations.