VIENNA (Dispatches) -- Iran 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 in Vienna, Iran’s 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 Iranian delegation said the international community should address Israel’s nuclear status as an integral part of efforts to strengthen the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation framework.
Israel is widely believed to possess a nuclear arsenal and is the only regime in West Asia that is not a party to the NPT. It has also refused to allow international inspections of its nuclear facilities.
Iran, by contrast, is a signatory to the NPT and says its nuclear facilities are fully subject to safeguards and that its nuclear activities are conducted solely for peaceful purposes.
The Iranian delegation also strongly condemned a recent order by the U.S. president to prepare for nuclear weapons testing, describing it as a “dangerous and reckless” move that poses a direct threat to international peace and security and demonstrates disregard for the CTBT, the UN Charter and the global non-proliferation regime.
Although no nuclear test has so far taken place, Iran said the