Israel’s Gaza genocide, regional aggression underscore ‘urgent need’ for WMD-free zone: Iran

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations says the Israeli regime’s acts of aggression in the besieged Gaza Strip and elsewhere have underscored the necessity of establishing the West Asia region free from all weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

Amir Saeid Iravani made the remarks during a speech delivered at the fifth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction held at the world body on Monday.

“The current global landscape, particularly the genocidal war of the Israeli regime in Gaza over the past year and its blatant aggression against other regional countries, underscores the urgent need to establish a Middle East free from all WMDs. The rationale for creating a WMD-free zone in the region has never been more relevant and pressing,” he said.

Iran’s permanent representative to the UN expressed regret that, for decades, the Israeli regime has unlawfully opposed repeated international calls to establish such a region —a proposal first made by Iran in 1974.

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He voiced concern that the Israeli regime, which is backed by the US government, "keeps accumulating all kinds of WMDs without being party to any legally binding international disarmament instrument and without being subject to any safeguards or verification mechanisms."

“The Israeli regime seeks to conceal the true reason behind its opposition to the establishment of a Middle East free of WMDs, which is to safeguard its own WMD program by remaining free of any legally binding commitments,” Iravani stressed.

The Iranian envoy also raised the alarm about the Israeli regime's actions, including acts of terrorism and sabotage targeting civilian nuclear programs and scientists in the region, its prime minister's threatening Iran with nuclear weapons during the 78th UN General Assembly session on September 22, 2023, and an Israeli minister’s proposal to use nuclear weapons in the Gaza Strip, and demanded immediate intervention by international bodies such as the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“We categorically condemn these illegal and irresponsible actions, emphasizing the danger posed by WMDs in the hands of such an illegitimate regime. These actions underscore the urgent need for a zone free of WMDs in the region, as a critical step to address the Israeli regime's WMD capabilities and rid the region of these menacing weapons,” he further noted.

Israel has carried out acts of sabotage against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program over the past years in addition to assassinating several nuclear scientists of the country.   

The regime, which pursues secret nuclear activities, is estimated to possess 200 to 400 atomic warheads in its arsenal, making it the sole possessor of non-conventional arms in West Asia. It has refused to either allow inspections of its nuclear facilities by the IAEA or sign the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

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