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Tehran describes UN chiefs remarks on its nuclear program as audacious

· 2 min read

Tehran describes UN chief’s remarks on its nuclear program as audacious​

TEHRAN - The Iranian foreign minister on Thursday described as "audacious" UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ remarks about Iran's peaceful nuclear activities, reaffirming Tehran’s “longstanding commitment” to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Tehran describes UN chief�’s remarks on its nuclear program as audacious

In a post on X, Abbas Araghchi censured Guterres for preaching Iran for its civilian nuclear program and even signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, (JCPOA), but was abandoned by the United States.

Araghchi also pointed to a fatwa (religious decree) by Leader of the Islamic Revolution that bans the production, possession and stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) including nuclear weapons. 

"It is audacious to preach that Iranians must ‘once and for all make it clear that they will renounce to have nuclear weapons’," the foreign minister pointed out. 

The chief diplomat added, "Iran's longstanding commitment to the global nonproliferation regime is clear."

Speaking about the situation in West Asia at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, the UN secretary general said Iran must make it clear that it does not seek to build nuclear arms, saying, “The most relevant question is Iran and relations between Iran, Israel and the United States.”

The UN chief added, “Here my hope is that the Iranians understand that it is important to once and for all make it clear that they will renounce to have nuclear weapons, at the same time that they engage constructively with the other countries of the region.”

The Iranian foreign minister also noted that the most relevant question regarding the region is Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, as well as the regime's occupation of Palestinian, the Syrian and Lebanese territories.

He further warned of the threat posed by Israel's nuclear arsenal and its refusal to join the NPT.

Israel is estimated to possess 200 nuclear warheads, making it the sole possessor of non-conventional arms in West Asia.

The Israeli regime does not allow inspections of its nuclear facilities and rebuffed a Middle East without nuclear weapons.

source: tehrantimes.com