WANA (Jan 22) – Ali Bahraini, Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, called on the international community to compel Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear state, dismantle its nuclear weapons irreversibly, and place all its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

 

Speaking at the UN Disarmament Conference, Bahraini expressed grave concern over the unprecedented arms race, particularly involving nuclear weapons. He criticized nuclear-armed states for failing to meet their NPT disarmament obligations while modernizing their arsenals.

 

“Currently, there are approximately 3,880 active nuclear warheads and nearly 12,000 total warheads globally. NATO countries, in violation of their legal commitments under the NPT, continue to depend on nuclear weapons,” Bahraini noted.

 

Highlighting the existential threat posed by nuclear arms, Bahraini emphasized the necessity of disarmament for global peace and security. “The vast resources spent on maintaining, producing, and modernizing these weapons could instead foster sustainable development and enduring peace worldwide,” he said.

 

The ambassador reiterated Iran’s longstanding position that a Middle East free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction remains unrealized due to Israel’s clandestine nuclear activities and stockpiles. He described Israel’s nuclear arsenal as the primary obstacle to establishing such a zone, urging international pressure on the regime to comply with disarmament measures.

 

The 2025 UN Disarmament Conference, the sole multilateral negotiation forum on disarmament, began on January 21 and will run through September. Its mandate includes advancing agreements on arms control and nuclear disarmament, reflecting global consensus on achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.