Iran Press/America: Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs emphasized: "To prove the real will to eliminate nuclear weapons completely, the international community must oblige the Israeli regime to join the NPT as a non-nuclear member and place all its nuclear facilities and activities under the comprehensive safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency."
Referring to the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States, Kazem Gharibabadi emphasized: "This meeting is a unique opportunity for global efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament as the highest priority of the United Nations, although unfortunately, some countries with nuclear weapons are not present in this meeting."
Fifty-four years after Article VI of the NPT called for nuclear disarmament, and twenty-eight years after the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion made it clear that the NPT obligates nuclear-armed states to dismantle their stockpiles, these states plan to depend on substantial, modernized nuclear capabilities as a key element of their security strategies for many years ahead.
Referring to the situation in West Asia, Gharibabadi said: "The Israeli regime, the sole possessor of a nuclear arsenal in the region, with the support of the United States, has always opposed all initiatives, including Iran's proposal since 1974 to create a nuclear-weapon-free zone in West Asia."
In conclusion, the Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized the need for collective action to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and said: "Only through cooperation and a true commitment to nuclear disarmament can a safer and more peaceful future for all nations be ensured."
