Iran warns against grave threat posed by nuclear-armed Israel to region

Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations has warned against the threat posed by Israel to regional stability as the illegitimate regime maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity regarding its nuclear weapons. 

Speaking at the fourth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), Amir Saeid Iravani said that the occupying regime’s nuclear arsenal has sparked “real and widespread concerns” about proliferation.

“Recent nuclear threats by the Israeli regime’s high-ranking officials against Iran and Palestine highlight the danger posed by these weapons at the hands of such an illegitimate regime,” he added, referring to remarks by Israel’s so-called heritage minister Amichai Eliyahu, who said that dropping a nuclear weapon on Gaza was “one of the possibilities” in the ongoing war on the besieged enclave.

Iravani also emphasized that creating a Middle East free of WMDs at the current critical juncture is a fundamental step toward a more secure future.

“In light of recent atrocities in the Middle East, we express our urgent concerns about Israel’s policy of nuclear ambiguity and its potential use of WMDs in the conflict in Gaza or elsewhere,” the Iranian ambassador said.

“The secrecy of Israel’s nuclear capabilities poses a significant threat to regional stability and underlines the need for immediate action.

He further urged the international community to consider Israel’s threats as a clear wake-up call, noting that the usurping entity’s terrorist acts and sabotage against civilian nuclear programs require immediate intervention by international bodies such as the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Israel is estimated to possess 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, making it the sole possessor of non-conventional arms in West Asia.

It has refused to either allow inspections of its nuclear facilities or sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).