Iran Urges Int’l Supervision over Israel Regime’s Nuclear Facilities

“The current situation is alarming, as the Israeli regime is threatening other regional countries with nuclear annihilation, and its nuclear arsenal poses a significant threat to both regional and global peace and security,” Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani said in an address to the UN General Assembly on the International Day Against Nuclear Tests on Wednesday.

He added that the international community should make the Israeli regime accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) “without any precondition” and to place all of its nuclear facilities under the full-scope IAEA safeguards.

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. It has refused to either allow inspections of its nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency or sign the NPT.

Iravani further reiterated the importance of the international community's commitment to protecting the environment from the destructive effects of nuclear tests and ending nuclear weapon tests, which he said is essential for achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.

“At a time when all nuclear-armed states are planning to modernize, upgrade, or extend the life of their nuclear weapons and facilities, as well as develop new easy-to-use nuclear weapons, ending nuclear weapon testing is of utmost importance,” the Iranian ambassador said.

He urged nuclear countries to adopt practical measures to stop all kinds of nuclear weapon tests.

“Nuclear-weapon states (NWSs) hold the primary responsibility for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and should take the lead in this effort,” Iravani emphasized.

He also stressed the importance of the total elimination of nuclear weapons as the “only absolute guarantee against the threat or use of these inhumane weapons.”

“As a signatory to the CTBT, the Islamic Republic of Iran considers this treaty a step toward nuclear disarmament, and in this context, believes it cannot substitute for the total elimination of nuclear weapons,” the Iranian envoy pointed out.

It is essential for the international community to keep nuclear disarmament a “top priority”, he emphasized, adding that all forms of nuclear testing must be “unequivocally prohibited.”