Statement
Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Before
The Board of Governors
On Agenda item 8
Mr. Chairman,
At the outset I would like to associate myself with the statement delivered by the distinguished Ambassador of Cuba on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement expressing great concern of the NAM over the possession of nuclear weapons by Israeli Regime which pose a serious and continuing threat to the peace and security of the region and other states and condemning Israel on its action and the statement made by Israeli Prime Minister regarding Israeli's possession of nuclear weapons.
Mr. Chairman,
Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its appreciation to the Non-Aligned Movement for their constant support on the speedy establishment of a nuclear weapons free zone in the Middle East. As a State party to all international instruments banning WMD, Iran was the first country initiated the idea of the establishment of a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone as an important disarmament measure in the Middle East in 1974, followed by the annual resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly.
Despite of the repeated calls by the international community demonstrated in the continuous adoption of the UNGA resolutions, the resolution on the Middle East adopted by the 1995 NPT Review Conference, as well as the related resolutions and decisions of the IAEA, Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, being confident of the political and military support of the United States and receiving technical assistance from US, including through 2000 US-Israel nuclear Agreement, Israeli Regime has neither acceded to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) nor placed its unwarranted nuclear facilities under IAEA full-Scope Safeguards.
Israel as the only non-party to the NPT in the region, has not even declared its intention to denounce and abandon its weapons of mass destruction programs and to accede to the NPT. Israel clandestine and prohibited nuclear activities, with the support of the United States, seriously threaten both regional peace and security and endanger the non-proliferation regime.
Mr. Chairman,
The United States and United Kingdom which have pushed the Security Council to take groundless punitive measures against Iran's Safeguarded peaceful nuclear program, have systematically prevented the Security Council from taking any action to nudge the Israeli regime towards submitting itself to the nuclear non-proliferation regime. By doing so, they have provided this regime with wide latitude and even encouragement to indulge freely in the clandestine development and prohibited possession of nuclear weapons in defiance of international community's call and in contravention to international law, and even publicly announcing it with impunity.
It is undisputable that nuclear weapons in the hands of the Israeli regime with an unparalleled record of non-compliance with the UN and IAEA resolutions and a long and dark catalogue of crimes and atrocity such as occupation, aggression, militarism, state terrorism, crime against humanity and apartheid pose a uniquely grave threat to the regional and international peace and security as it was stressed by the Non-Aligned Movement.
The continued inaction by the Security Council in the face of the actual threat of Israeli's nuclear weapons to international peace and security has even encouraged Israeli officials to make public statements in which they made threats to attack the safeguarded peaceful nuclear facilities of the other countries.
Mr. Chairman,
Given the above mentioned facts and publicly announcing the possession of nuclear weapons by Israeli regime, it is shameful that none of the Western countries expressed any concern in this Board meeting. This is a dark point in the record of the Board of Governors of the Agency. The international community should be aware of what happened today and the unfortunately status quo. The Agency and its Board of Governors should condemn the Israeli Regime and its acknowledgment of possession of nuclear weapons and immediately fulfill their responsibilities and obligations, and suspend the provision of any assistance to Israel under the Agency's technical assistance and cooperation program in order to prevent any assistance to nuclear weapons program of this regime. Furthermore because of the seriousness of such threat, the Board has to consider it in its next session and to seize the matter, in order to explore ways and means to address such a great concern.
Thank you for your attention.