Iran: Israel Main Obstacle to Nuclear-Free-Middle East

Mehman-Parast said the unlawful Zionist regime of Israel is the main obstacle to creating a nuclear-free Middle East, adding that the issue was a main topic of discussions during the 16th heads-of-state summit of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran (August 30-31).

He expressed hope that countries with influence in the issue of nuclear activities would act according to the NPT, fulfill their duty for doing justice to countries who want to use nuclear energy for their progress, and keep an eye on the main danger which is the existence of nuclear weapons and the countries that are not committed to the NPT.

Mehman-Parast noted that Iran's nuclear facilities have been the most-inspected facilities by the IAEA, but none of the claims made about Iran's pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program has been confirmed.

Israel and its close ally the United States accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, while they have never presented any corroborative document to substantiate their allegations. Both Washington and Tel Aviv possess advanced weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear warheads.

Iran vehemently denies the charges, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Iran, an NPT-signatory, has also called for the removal of all weapons of mass destruction from across the globe.

In pursuit of global nuclear disarmament, Tehran held a conference on nuclear disarmament on April 18-19, 2010 with officials from different world countries in attendance. During the two-day conference, world officials and politicians put their heads together to address issues and concerns in connection with nuclear disarmament.

Despite Iran's compliance with the NPT, Washington and its Western allies accuse the country of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Political observers believe that the United States has remained at loggerheads with Iran mainly over the independent and home-grown nature of Tehran's nuclear technology, which gives the Islamic Republic the potential to turn into a world power and a role model for the other third-world countries. Washington has laid much pressure on Iran to make it give up the most sensitive and advanced part of the technology, which is uranium enrichment, a process used for producing nuclear fuel for power plant.
irna/281