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Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has called Israel and other world's nuclear weapons states to give up too, in response to Iran’s historic nuclear deal signed earlier this month. Under the deal, Iran accepted strict restrain on its nuclear program.
The minister has claimed that Iran had “walked the walk” on non-proliferation. He writes, “The cold war-era asymmetry between states that possess nuclear weapons and those that don’t is no longer tolerable,”
“Meanwhile, states actually possessing these destructive weapons have hardly even talked the talk, while completely brushing off their disarmament obligations under NPT and customary international law. That is to say nothing of countries outside the NPT, or Israel, with an undeclared nuclear arsenal and a declared disdain towards non-proliferation, notwithstanding its absurd and alarmist campaign against the Iranian nuclear deal.”
According to Zarif, Iran honored the spirit of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) by agreeing the Vienna deal. Though the states without nuclear weapons promise not to acquire them, the states actually with nuclear weapons are not taking side by disarming. Israel is believed to have around 80 warheads.
The remarks made by Zarif also represent the UN sercurity council members that include the US, Russia, France, the UK and China. These are the five permanent members armed with nuclear weapons. Additionally, remarks are also intended to other nuclear states India, Pakistan, and North Korea, which are not NPT signatories.
Three proposals are made by Zarif:
• First proposal is to begin negotiations on elimination of nuclear weapons.
• The negotiations should basically lead to nuclear arsenals being taken off high alert readiness.
• And weapon free zone should be created in the Middle East, which can avoid mass destruction.
-Sumana