Iran’s mission to international organisations in Vienna has warned that Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons and its continued refusal to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) constitute one of the most serious challenges to the credibility of the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
In a statement delivered at the 67th session of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization’s (CTBTO) Working Group B, the Iranian delegation said Israel’s refusal to join the NPT and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) had enabled it to avoid requirements related to transparency, safeguards, verification and disarmament, Iran’s English-language Press TV reports.
The statement said the international community should address the issue as an integral part of efforts to strengthen the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation framework.
According to Press TV, Israel is estimated to possess between 200 and 400 nuclear warheads, making it the only country in West Asia believed to possess nuclear weapons. Israel refuses to allow international inspections of its nuclear sites and has not signed the NPT, the broadcaster said.
Unlike Israel, Iran is a signatory to the NPT and has long co-operated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Press TV added.
Iran’s delegation also strongly condemned a recent order by the US president to prepare for nuclear weapons testing, describing it as a dangerous and reckless move that poses a direct and serious threat to international peace and security and represents an apparent disregard for the CTBT, the UN Charter and the global non-proliferation regime.
The statement noted that although no nuclear test had so far been carried out in practice, the issuance of such an order by a country possessing one of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals had implications extending beyond a political statement.
“The international community should not wait for a nuclear explosion to take action against this threat,” the delegation said.
The Iranian delegation also condemned recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran as acts of state terrorism and crimes against humanity, saying they posed a serious threat to the integrity of the global non-proliferation regime.
It stressed that Iran’s nuclear facilities are fully subject to safeguards and that the country’s nuclear activities are conducted solely for peaceful purposes within the framework of the NPT.
The statement further said the CTBT is one of the fundamental pillars of the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture and should not be interpreted selectively or viewed solely as a tool for preventing nuclear proliferation.