The moment comes after four weeks of talks to review the treaty, which is the cornerstone of non-proliferation amid fears of a renewed arms race following unsuccessful review conferences in 2015 and 2022.

"The text keeps on becoming less and less anchored in the realities of current conflicts and proliferation risks" including North Korea and Iran, said analyst Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group.

The latest version of the text seen by AFP on Friday merely states that Tehran must "never" develop nuclear weapons.

But the paragraph is in brackets, signalling persistent disagreement despite the removal of the reference to Iran's "non-compliance" with its obligations that appeared in the first draft of the declaration.

Also gone are expressions of concern about North Korea's nuclear program, or even any mention of the "denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.

Gone as well is the direct call on the United States and Russia to begin negotiations on a successor to the New START treaty limiting Russian and American arsenals, which expired in February.

The diluted text strikes a "necessarily consensual" tone, said Heloise Fayet of the French Institute of International Relations.

The text still covers "some of the current problems, in particular the risk of a resumption of nuclear testing by Russia, China and the United States, the growth of arsenals, and attacks on nuclear infrastructure," she added.

Since decisions are taken by consensus, it cannot be ruled out that, despite the significant changes, a country will block adoption on Friday at the end of the day as has happened previously.

Experts point out that even in the absence of an agreement for the third time in a row, the treaty will continue to exist, but with diminished legitimacy, potentially tempting some non-nuclear-weapon states to reconsider whether non-proliferation serves their security interests.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the nine nuclear-armed states --Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea -- possessed 12,241 nuclear warheads in January 2025, 90 percent of which were in American and Russian hands.

Some countries are modernizing their arsenals, or even increasing their stockpiles.

The NPT, which entered into force in 1970 and has been signed by almost all states, with notable exceptions including Israel, India and Pakistan, aims to prevent proliferation, promote complete disarmament and encourage cooperation for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.