Iran Urges US, Nuclear Powers to Honor Disarmament Obligations


Iran Urges US, Nuclear Powers to Honor Disarmament Obligations

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian deputy foreign minister called for collective efforts to achieve global nuclear disarmament and eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons, urging the US and other atomic powers to fulfill their international obligations on disarmament.

Iran’s acting Deputy Foreign Minister Reza Najafi delivered an address to the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting on Tuesday, held to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

Iran strongly rejects the retention, stockpiling, development, use and proliferation of nuclear arms, he said, adding that eliminating such weapons is a legal, political and moral responsibility for the international community.

Paying tribute to the victims of nuclear weapons, the Iranian official said the only way to ensure that nuclear arms are not used is to destroy them completely.

Najafi also rejected the modernization and strengthening of nuclear arsenals by the US and other nuclear-weapon states in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), saying those countries continue to object to any nuclear disarmament negotiations despite their legal obligations under Article VI.

He further called on the international community to adopt concrete decisions during the 10th NPT Review Conference, voicing support for the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM)’s efforts to pursue a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention, according to Press TV.

The Israeli regime continues to threaten peace and security in the Middle East and beyond through its clandestine nuclear program, thus the international community should invite the regime to join the NPT without precondition by placing its nuclear facilities under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Iranian diplomat added.

Earlier at Tuesday’s meeting, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud urged the international community to assume its responsibilities toward what he called Iran’s continued violations of the 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He also called for pressing Tehran over the alleged escalation of its nuclear activities, including in research and development.

Najafi dismissed the claims about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and underlined the need for transparency in the kingdom’s nuclear activities under the auspices of the IAEA.

Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions have prompted worries in the global community over the past few years, especially after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hinted in 2018 that the kingdom might go for nuclear bombs.

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