At IAEA, Iran slams Israel nukes

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=129932§ionid=351020202



While the US and the EU have refused to put Israel's nuclear program under the spotlight, Iran's ambassador to the IAEA says Israeli nukes pose a major threat to piece and stability across the world.

Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh slammed Israel's nuclear weapons program on Thursday.

"Its (Israel) nuclear weapons capabilities shall undoubtedly increase the potential threat to peace and security of the Middle East and the world at large," he said.

Israel, which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, with around 200 warheads in its arsenal, but has maintained a policy of deliberate ambiguity about its capabilities.

Arab nations along with Russia have also censured Israel at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board meeting, for preventing the Middle East from becoming a nuclear-free region.

Speaking on behalf of the Arab group, Sudan's Ambassador to the IAEA Mahmoud al-Amin told the closed-door session that Israel was a "nuclear danger."

Meanwhile, the US and the European Union expressed concern over the examination of Israel's case at the IAEA board.

"Singling out Israel for censure is in our view both counterproductive and inappropriate," Glyn Davies, the US ambassador to the IAEA, said

The IAEA meeting was held only a day after the UN Security Council (UNSC) imposed a fourth set of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

The imposition of new sanctions is a "clear indication that others, particularly the United States, are following the path of confrontation, as if the [former US President George W.] Bush era is continuing, and that is very disappointing and the slogan of change has not translated into the action," Soltanieh told Press TV after the meeting.

The forth round of UNSC sanctions came after Iran, Turkey, and Brazil signed a declaration on May 17, according to which Iran would ship 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey to be exchanged for 120 kilograms of 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel rods to power the Tehran research reactor, which produces radioisotopes for cancer treatment.

The nuclear declaration gives Iran a guarantee since the low-enriched uranium is to be stored in Turkey and would be returned if Iran does not receive the 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel within one year.

Despite the fact that Iran agreed to conduct the fuel swap in a third country -- a demand by the West that Iran had previously rejected due to guarantee concerns -- on June 9 the UNSC passed a resolution imposing new sanctions on Iran.

Tehran says it sees the declaration as a confidence-building measure that provides an opportunity for cooperation between Iran and the West.