Araghchi issued the warning during his speech at the 2025 Conference on Disarmament High-level Segment at the UN headquarters in Geneva on Monday.
He emphasized that Israel's possession of WMDs “prevents a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East, which was first proposed by Iran in 1974,” adding that “the international community must hold the regime accountable and compel it to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to eliminate its nuclear weapons completely and place all of its nuclear activities under the comprehensive supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
Expressing concern about the threat of nuclear weapons and their catastrophic human and environmental repercussions, Araghchi called on the international community and the United Nations to prioritize the issue of nuclear disarmament.
He also deemed it necessary to establish a comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons, saying the international community must hold nuclear-armed states and actors accountable for their legal obligations.
“Failure to comply with legally binding obligations related to nuclear disarmament, especially under Article 6 of the NPT, will weaken the disarmament and arms control regime,” he stated.
The top Iranian diplomat warned against the spread of armed conflicts, noting that some countries, under the pretext of security, are spending vast sums on the production and storage of weapons, perpetuating a vicious cycle of insecurity and bloodshed in the region and worldwide.
Araghchi highlighted the most unprecedented and brutal acts, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli regime in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the destruction of the besieged enclave and the deaths of tens of thousands of people, mostly children, women, and elderly.
“Never in history have so many journalists, medical personnel, and UN staff been killed in an armed conflict. The war crimes, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and mass starvation perpetrated by the Israeli regime must never go unpunished.”
A UN General Assembly resolution in 1978 established several mechanisms to address disarmament matters, including the Conference on Disarmament, which is the only multilateral international body focused on disarmament and arms control.
Each year, the United Nations Conference on Disarmament High-Level Segment is held in Geneva, featuring high-ranking officials from member countries who discuss and exchange views while presenting their national positions on issues such as international peace and security, disarmament, and arms control.
Your Comment