Iran urges elimination of all nuclear weapons
UN ambassador tells General Assembly’s disarmament committee Iran seeks elimination of all "inhuman" nuclear weapons
Iran’s UN ambassador on Monday called nuclear weapons the greatest threat to present and future generations, just days before Tehran resumes talks with six world powers aimed at reining in its suspect nuclear programme.
Mohammad Khazaee told a meeting of the General Assembly’s disarmament committee that “the total elimination of these inhuman weapons is the only absolute guarantee against their threat or use”.
The election of President Hassan Rouhani, viewed as a moderate, has led to a revival of talks in Geneva aimed at allaying Western fears that the real aim of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme is producing nuclear weapons, not nuclear energy and medical isotopes as it claims.
"The total elimination of these inhuman weapons is the only absolute guarantee against their threat or use”."
For years, Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is purely peaceful, and it opposes nuclear weapons, but Khazaee’s comments were especially strong.
“Before they consume us all together, we must consume them all together,” he said. “This is not an option but a must. This is both our right and responsibility.”
Khazaee told the committee “we need to invest further political will to achieve a nuclear weapon-free world at the earliest date”.
