IAEA envoy calls for pressuring Israel to join NPT

TEHRAN (defapress) – Iranian representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency has called for pressuring Israel into joining the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as the only way to bring peace to the Middle East.

News ID: 72541

Date: 20 September 2018 - 12:07

Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks at the 62nd Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference, which is underway at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) in the Austrian capital from September 17 to 21.

He pointed out that nuclear disarmament as one of the main objectives of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, despite being one of the highest priorities of the international community, has unfortunately not seen significant progress over the past 50 years.

With respect to the Middle East Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (MENWFZ), a UN-driven proposal to prohibit nuclear weapons in the region since 1980, he said that lack of political will to implement international decisions is a matter of concern.

The Iranian representative further referred to the Israeli regime’s nuclear weapons and its threatening behavior towards its neighbors in the Middle East, calling for pressuring the regime to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as an urgent necessity.

He then criticized the IAEA for giving in to Israeli regime’s pressures and for not following up on Israel’s dangerous nuclear activities.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Gharibabadi referred to the US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry’s recent comments on Iran’s nuclear program, calling for a halt to US unilateralism and its disrespect for international agreements.

He further lashed out at the Saudi Arabia and UAE for committing crimes against humanity in Yemen while siding with Israel in falsely accusing Iran of pursuing nuclear weapon

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