Nuclear countries unwilling to destroy arms: Soltanieh

Iran’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said here on Tuesday that countries including the US which own nuclear arms are not willing to destroy their arms.

Talking to IRNA at the end of a meeting on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which was attended by elites and instructors of the Austrian universities, he added that the event discussed the problems arising from proliferation of nuclear arms and inability of international organizations to prevent arms race.

“During the meeting, a reference was made to Iran’s proposal on setting a deadline for destruction of nuclear arms, which was welcomed by Non-Aligned member states,” he said, noting that the countries with nuclear arms, especially the US opposed the proposal.

That’s a bitter reality that the nuclear countries want to keep their arms as a deterrent factor, he contended.

Such countries do not abide by NPT and they have violated it on several occasions, Soltanieh said.