Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that the tens of thousands of nuclear warheads in the United States and around Europe pose a direct threat to humanity.The continued existence of tens of thousands of nuclear warheads in the stockpile of the nuclear-weapon states, most of them on high-trigger alert, and their day by day modernization, constitute the most serious threat to the survival of mankind, Ali Asghar Soltanieh said.
He also condemned the US for conducting its 27th subcritical nuclear test in Nevada in December 2012, saying the experiment was a flagrant violation of Washingtons international obligations and a recipe for global destabilization.
Such subcritical tests and computer simulations to design new weapons, a case of non-compliance by the United States with its international obligations under the NPT, could be a resumption of the nuclear arms race and a revival [of the] risk of global disaster, the Iranian ambassador stated.
Soltanieh noted that spending on nuclear weapons has increased dramatically since 2010 and will reach at least one trillion US dollars over the next decade, adding, The United States itself will spend untold billions of dollars to operate its nuclear armada during its 50-year planned lifespan (from 2030 to 2080).
He added that the British governments plan to spend 100 billion pounds to upgrade its Trident nuclear-armed submarines is a clear breach of Article VI of the NPT and the commitments made during the 2010 NPT Review Conference.
He went on to say that the sale of German-made Dolphin-class submarines to the Israeli regime, which is not a signatory to the NPT, is an unconcealed case of proliferation and non-compliance, since the submarines are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The Iranian ambassador to IAEA also said the Islamic Republic and the United Nations nuclear agency will hold a new round of talks over Tehrans nuclear energy programs next month.
Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh said that the two sides will meet at the headquarters of Iran's mission to the IAEA in the Austrian capital Vienna on May 15.
The Iranian ambassador also said that the IAEA's delegation will be headed by Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Safeguards Herman Nackaerts.
By US Close Up
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