Israel is the only obstacle to establishment of nuclear-weapons-free zone in Mideast: Iran

TEHRAN,Sept.22(MNA) – The Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Israel constitutes the “only obstacle” to the establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East. The “irresponsible behavior of this (Israeli) regime… has put the establishment of such a zone in the region for the near future in serious doubt,” Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh stated in a speech during the annual member state gathering of the IAEA in Vienna on Thursday, AFP reported. Israel should accede to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) aimed at stopping the spread of nuclear weapons, he said, adding, “At present the Israeli regime is the only non-party to the NPT in this region despite repeated calls by the international community.” He also noted, “Peace and stability cannot be achieved in the Middle East while the massive nuclear arsenal of that regime continues to threaten the region and beyond.” According to AFP, during the IAEA meeting on Thursday, member states approved with a crushing majority a call for all Middle Eastern countries to accede to the NPT, in a move that was slammed by the United States ambassador, Robert Wood.