Iran raps US non-compliance with nuclear disarmament commitments

Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Reza Najafi (Photo by Tasnim news agency)

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says non-compliance of nuclear-armed countries, especially the US, with their disarmament obligations poses a threat to the global Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Policies and weapons programs of certain countries, especially the US, and the existence of their nuclear arsenals have prevented the realization of the major objectives of the NPT and have painted a grim picture of the treaty’s future, Reza Najafi said on Wednesday.

He made the remarks in an address to the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT at the UN office in Geneva.

“As long as the US pursues a unilateral policy regarding its nuclear programs, there will be no progress towards nuclear disarmament and we will be expecting to see the proliferation of nuclear weapons in all its dimensions,” he said.

The Iranian envoy reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s full commitment to the objectives of the NPT and warned against the threat posed by Israel’s nuke program to regional and global peace and security.

Najafi described Israel’s nuclear weapons program as the main obstacle to the creation of a nuke-free Middle East, and blamed double standards adopted by certain nuclear-armed countries, including the US, for Israel’s development of its atomic activities.

Iranian officials have censured the West’s double standards concerning Israel’s military nuclear capability, stressing that the Tel Aviv regime's policies are hampering efforts to denuclearize the Middle East.

"Forcing Israel to join the NPT and putting all of its nuclear activities and facilities under the safeguard of the IAEA must be one of the commission's main recommendations," said Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo on April 2 while addressing the UN disarmament committee in New York.

Khoshroo noted that all nuclear weapons must be destroyed before they are used to destroy the human race.

Israel is estimated to have 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. The regime, however, refuses to either accept or deny having the weapons.

It has also evaded signing the NPT amid staunch endeavor by the United States and other Western states on international levels in favor of its non-commitment to the accord.


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