Says Natanz Explosion Result of Sabotage
Iran Warns Against ‘Any Dangerous Adventurism’
VIENNA (Dispatches) -- Iran’s Ambassador to the Vienna-based international organizations Kazem Gharibabadi has said a recent explosion at Natanz nuclear was a "reckless and dangerous adventurism” which must not be repeated.
Addressing a seasonal session of the Board of Directors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) here Thursday, Gharibabadi stressed that Iran places great importance on nuclear security.
"In this context, I would like to draw your attention to an important matter and refer to the recent explosion in Shahid Ahmadi Roushan nuclear facility (Natanz) which was the result of sabotage as already declared.
"We warn against any such reckless and dangerous adventurism. Such malicious acts should be condemned strongly by the Agency and its Member States.”
Gharibabadi touched on several General Conference resolutions, which have highlighted that any armed attack and threat against nuclear facilities dedicated to peaceful purposes and under the IAEA safeguards is considered as the gross violation of the provisions of the UN Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency.
"In addition to protecting its nuclear facilities in any way it deems necessary, Iran reserves its right to take appropriate actions against such threats,” he said.
"I would also like to emphasize that such malicious acts will not negatively affect Iran’s nuclear program, but will only serve as an incentive to accelerate its development,” he added.
Gharibabadi said for many years, the U.S. and occupying regime of Israel are speaking about the possibility of an Iranian nuclear bomb and the so-called Iran’s clandestine nuclear activities, to divert the attention of the international community and the IAEA.
"Despite this, there has never been any news of such fantasy bomb; rather Iran has shown to be the most transparent country with accepting more than one fifth of the total inspections of the Agency. Iran has also expressed its strong position against nuclear weapons and the necessity of their total elimination.”
The ambassador said, "The fact that 22 percent of the Agency’s global inspections alone is conducted in Iran, shows that Iran has the most transparent peaceful nuclear program among the Agency’s Member States.”
On the contrary, he said, the U.S. is equipped with more than 6200 nuclear warheads, that is around half of the total nuclear weapons in the world, which is sufficient to destroy the world for several times.
"It seems the U.S. is not only considering other countries in this planet as enemy, but also has drawn hypothetical enemies in other planets for itself,” he said.
Furthermore, the U.S. is spending billions of dollars on development and renovation of nuclear weapons, Gharibabadi said.
On the other hand, the envoy said, the occupying regime of Israel is the only non-party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in the Middle East and has not acceded to any of the instruments related to weapons of mass-destruction and continues to be the greatest security concern in the region.
"This regime has all categories of weapons of mass-destruction, has rejected the repeated requests of the international community and the Agency for accepting the IAEA safeguards inspections, and frequently threatens or attacks its neighbors.”
Gharibabadi said, "To uphold the safeguards regime and the Agency’s integrity, international community should not keep silent about the nuclear status of the U.S. and Israeli regime and their threats to regional and international peace and security.”
Addressing a seasonal session of the Board of Directors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) here Thursday, Gharibabadi stressed that Iran places great importance on nuclear security.
"In this context, I would like to draw your attention to an important matter and refer to the recent explosion in Shahid Ahmadi Roushan nuclear facility (Natanz) which was the result of sabotage as already declared.
"We warn against any such reckless and dangerous adventurism. Such malicious acts should be condemned strongly by the Agency and its Member States.”
Gharibabadi touched on several General Conference resolutions, which have highlighted that any armed attack and threat against nuclear facilities dedicated to peaceful purposes and under the IAEA safeguards is considered as the gross violation of the provisions of the UN Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency.
"In addition to protecting its nuclear facilities in any way it deems necessary, Iran reserves its right to take appropriate actions against such threats,” he said.
"I would also like to emphasize that such malicious acts will not negatively affect Iran’s nuclear program, but will only serve as an incentive to accelerate its development,” he added.
Gharibabadi said for many years, the U.S. and occupying regime of Israel are speaking about the possibility of an Iranian nuclear bomb and the so-called Iran’s clandestine nuclear activities, to divert the attention of the international community and the IAEA.
"Despite this, there has never been any news of such fantasy bomb; rather Iran has shown to be the most transparent country with accepting more than one fifth of the total inspections of the Agency. Iran has also expressed its strong position against nuclear weapons and the necessity of their total elimination.”
The ambassador said, "The fact that 22 percent of the Agency’s global inspections alone is conducted in Iran, shows that Iran has the most transparent peaceful nuclear program among the Agency’s Member States.”
On the contrary, he said, the U.S. is equipped with more than 6200 nuclear warheads, that is around half of the total nuclear weapons in the world, which is sufficient to destroy the world for several times.
"It seems the U.S. is not only considering other countries in this planet as enemy, but also has drawn hypothetical enemies in other planets for itself,” he said.
Furthermore, the U.S. is spending billions of dollars on development and renovation of nuclear weapons, Gharibabadi said.
On the other hand, the envoy said, the occupying regime of Israel is the only non-party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in the Middle East and has not acceded to any of the instruments related to weapons of mass-destruction and continues to be the greatest security concern in the region.
"This regime has all categories of weapons of mass-destruction, has rejected the repeated requests of the international community and the Agency for accepting the IAEA safeguards inspections, and frequently threatens or attacks its neighbors.”
Gharibabadi said, "To uphold the safeguards regime and the Agency’s integrity, international community should not keep silent about the nuclear status of the U.S. and Israeli regime and their threats to regional and international peace and security.”