Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation

Our Mission

Preventing the spread of WMD, delivery systems, and advanced conventional weapons capabilities — and rolling back such proliferation where it has already taken root — is the mission of the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN). In close collaboration with other bureaus within the State Department, other U.S. agencies, and a diverse range of international and non-governmental partners, ISN tracks, develops, and implements effective responses to proliferation threats and shapes the international security environment to prevent their recurrence.

Key Topics

Biological Weapons Convention

The United States is a Depositary Government for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which effectively bans the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling, and use of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.

Nonproliferation Sanctions

The United States imposes sanctions under various legal authorities against foreign individuals, private entities, and governments that engage in proliferation activities, including Iran, Syria, and North Korea.

CAATSA

Section 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (“CAATSA,” or “the Act”) (Pub. L. 115-44,) was enacted on August 2, 2017. The President delegated to the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the authority to implement Section 231 on September 29, 2017.

The International Atomic Energy Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) advances critical U.S. interests related to preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, strengthening global nuclear safety and security, and promoting the peaceful applications of nuclear energy, science, and technology.