Iran slams Israel “main obstacle” for Middle East free of WMD

Amir Saeed Iravani made the remark in an address to the Third Session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in New York on Tuesday.

Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the world body pointed to his country’s bitter experience of falling victim to the WMDs and said, “Israel is provenly equipped with all types of these inhumane weapons.”

Iravani said Iran supports “total and final” elimination of all WMDs, highlighting “firm and everlasting commitment” of the Islamic Republic to the cause of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as the realization of a WMD-free zone in the Middle East, the nuclear part of which was initially proposed by Iran in 1974.

“In light of the impediments around the creation of such a zone and as a main requirement to strengthen the regional security in the Middle East, the Israeli regime must first and foremost adopt a transparent policy and leave the so-called strategic ambiguity, renounce possession of WMDs, and join all relevant international legally-binding instruments,” the Iranian diplomat said.

“Above all, it must unconditionally accede to the NPT while subjecting all of its nuclear facilities and activities to the IAEA's comprehensive safeguard,” he added, referring to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Calling on the international community to assist the region in overcoming such obstacles in establishing the Middle East free of all types of weapons of mass destruction, Iravani said the Conference's success will be in jeopardy as long as Israel refuses to participate while the US supports it and does not participate in the Conference.

“The United States' unwavering support for the Israeli regime, which includes its condoning of Israel’s dangerous nuclear weapon program, as well as the US and Israel’s refusal to engage constructively in the work of the current Conference must be duly considered in the Conference aiming at exploring different channels to overcome these obstacles,” Iravani noted.

Underlining Tehran's full compliance with the NPT and its cooperation with the IAEA, the Iranian diplomat called on the western governments to stop making accusations against the Islamic Republic and instead hold the US and Israel accountable for the infringement of such obligations.

"To the Western nuclear weapon States participating in this Conference as observers, we invite them not to abuse the opportunity given to them to consult with the countries of the region to create the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, but instead to focus on the main expectation from them in the framework of the Conference, which is the negotiation to grant negative security assurances to the countries of the region," Iravani said.

"Ironically, these countries themselves have violated their legally binding obligations according to the NPT by strengthening their nuclear weapon arsenals, and beyond that by helping Israel obtain nuclear weapons," he added.

"Unfortunately, they remain silent against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by Israel with the support of the United States. They do not dare to take any position against the non-participation of these two in the Conference but raise baseless accusations against Iran. Such an approach should be stopped and if it continues on the part of these countries, the Conference should take the necessary decision in this regard," he said.