WANA (Feb 24) – Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araqchi, emphasized the necessity of a comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons at the 2025 High-Level Meeting of the UN Conference on Disarmament. He warned that the failure to adhere to legally binding commitments on nuclear disarmament, particularly under Article 6 of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), weakens the disarmament and arms control regime. He called on the international community to hold nuclear-armed states accountable for their legal obligations.

 

Arriving in Geneva, the European headquarters of the United Nations, on Sunday night, Araqchi delivered his speech on Monday at the High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament.

 

The conference, one of the most significant international events on global security and arms control, began with a keynote address by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. This session will outline the priorities and objectives of the current cycle.

 

During his speech, Araqchi expressed deep concern over the grave threat posed by nuclear weapons and their catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences. He urged the international community to maintain nuclear disarmament as the UN’s and global community’s highest priority.

 

He reiterated the necessity of establishing a comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons, stating that failure to meet legal obligations under the NPT’s Article 6 undermines disarmament efforts and weakens arms control. He stressed that nuclear-armed states must be held accountable for their international legal commitments.

The Iranian foreign minister also voiced alarm over the expansion of armed conflicts amid growing geopolitical tensions. He criticized certain countries for justifying exorbitant military spending under the guise of security, thereby perpetuating cycles of instability and bloodshed worldwide.

 

Araqchi further condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, stating: “The Israeli regime has committed unprecedented and brutal crimes, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The assault on Gaza has led to the destruction of the enclave and the massacre of over 46,000 people, the majority of whom are children, women, and the elderly. Never in history have so many journalists, medical personnel, and UN staff been killed in a single armed conflict. The war crimes, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and mass starvation inflicted by Israel must never go unpunished.”

 

He warned that Israel’s possession of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, remains a serious threat to regional and global peace and security. He stressed that this reality obstructs the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East—a proposal first introduced by Iran in 1974. Araqchi urged the international community to hold Israel accountable, compelling it to join the NPT as a non-nuclear state, completely dismantle its nuclear arsenal irreversibly, and place all its nuclear activities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) oversight.

 

The Iranian foreign minister also underscored the importance of preventing the weaponization of outer space. He reaffirmed Iran’s long-standing position on the peaceful use of outer space and firmly rejected any unilateral coercive measures that violate nations’ legitimate rights to peaceful space exploration.

 

Araghchi’s Presence at the Disarmament Conference

WANA (Feb 24) – Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, who arrived in Geneva from Beirut on Sunday night, will attend the high-level meeting of the UN Disarmament Conference today (Monday). This conference, held at the European headquarters of the United Nations, is one of the most significant global forums on international security and arms control. […]

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Established in 1978, the UN Conference on Disarmament is the sole multilateral negotiating forum for international disarmament treaties. Comprising 56 militarily significant nations, including Iran, it plays a critical role in drafting international agreements on arms control.

 

The conference’s high-level segment convenes annually in late February in Geneva, where senior officials from member states present their national positions on disarmament, peace, and international security. The meeting serves as a platform for diplomatic engagement and negotiations on global arms control issues.