Emphasizing the long-standing and principled position of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the need for the complete elimination of all nuclear weapons, Kazem Gharibabadi at the 55th session of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission said on Tuesday, "Iran supports the objectives of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) with the ultimate goal of disarmament, as well as general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control."
"We also strongly believe that stopping all explosive tests of nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosions, as well as ending the quantitative development and qualitative improvement of these weapons, is the first necessary step towards nuclear disarmament," he added.
Lamenting that more than two decades after the ratification of this treaty, the achievement of this goal has become more unattainable than ever before, Gharibabadi noted, "If it is scheduled that the objectives of this agreement are to be fully realized, it is essential that countries with nuclear weapons commit to nuclear disarmament."
He also expressed regret over the US destructive approach to disarmament treaties and non-proliferation, saying, "We express our deep concern, in particular, over reports of some discussions by senior US officials about the possibility of conducting nuclear explosion tests."
"Such a move would not only be seen as a clear violation of the moratorium on nuclear explosive tests, but would also severely undermine disarmament and the non-proliferation regime and, consequently, international peace and security," he added.
Gharibabadi also expressed grave concern over the approval of a $10 million budget by the US Senate Committee to prepare for such a nuclear test and urged Washington to live up to its commitments in this area.
Referring to the situation in Saudi Arabia in relation to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, he criticized the fact that Riyadh did not sign the treaty, calling on the country to sign the treaty as soon as possible.
ZZ/5097007