Iran: Israel’s nuclear arsenal threatens global non-proliferation regime

Tehran - BORNA - 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) has enabled the regime to evade requirements related to transparency, safeguards, verification, and disarmament.

The statement said the international community should address the issue as an integral part of any effort to strengthen the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation framework.

Israel is estimated to possess 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, making it the sole possessor of non-conventional arms in West Asia.

The occupying regime has refused to either allow inspections of its nuclear sites or sign the NPT.

Unlike Israel, Iran is a signatory to the NPT and has long been cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

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 constitutes an apparent disregard for the CTBT, the UN Charter, and the global non-proliferation regime.

The statement noted that although no nuclear test has 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 carries consequences 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 slammed the recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran as acts of state terrorism and crimes against humanity, saying they pose 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.

The US and Israel launched another round of aggression against Iran on February 28, some eight months after carrying out unprovoked attacks on the country.

Iran swiftly retaliated by launching barrages of missiles and drones at the Israeli-occupied territories, as well as US bases and interests across the region.

A ceasefire took effect on April 7, and on June 18, the presidents of Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end the war and begin a 60-day diplomatic process to resolve the differences.

However, renewed US strikes a few weeks after signing the MoU once again triggered Iranian retaliation.

End Article