Why is the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty important?

Signed by President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was important because it eliminated all nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges between 310 and 3,410 miles (short and intermediate ranges) as well as their launchers. By May 1991, onsite inspections rendered that 2,692 had been eliminated.

It was the first treaty to provide for the destruction of nuclear weapons.