TEHRAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Sunday that Israel should join the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and accept the watch and inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into its nuclear establishments. Addressing the opening ceremony of an international nuclear disarmament conference in Tehran on Sunday, Salehi said Israel is the only obstacle to creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons.
In order to establish stability in the Middle East region, the global community should push Israel to join NPT and make it accept the watch and inspection of IAEA into its nuclear facilities, he said.
Israel possesses different kinds of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and has caused the region to face a serious threat, he added.
Salehi also criticized the United States, describing it as the major violator of the NPT.
The United States has played an active role in spreading out nuclear weapons, and surprisingly, it shows itself as the advocator of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, said Salehi.
Today, the international community is facing the threats by nuclear weapons more than ever, the Iranian foreign minister said.
Few countries in the world possess some 23,000 nuclear warheads, he said, adding that this is a potential risk for the world and it may lead to an unprecedented disaster.
He said that after 40 years of NPT mandatory conventions, no significant breakthrough has taken place in nuclear disarmament and the nuclear powers have not implemented their obligation in this regard.
Iran believes that the use of nuclear weapons should be legally banned, as it has been done with the chemical and microbial weapons pursuant to the mandatory conventions, he said.
The ex-head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said that Iran is not only against nuclear weapons, but also against other WMDs which are threats against humanity.
Salehi expressed hope that the conference could help develop popular disarmament culture and establish a world without the WMDs.
The conference is also aimed at developing some practical mechanisms to nuclear disarmament, he said.
The second International Nuclear Disarmament Conference kicked off in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Sunday, which brings together delegates from 40 countries across the world, including the ambassadors and representatives from international bodies such as the UN and the IAEA.
