Tehran summit undermines US strategy

Paul Ingram, executive director of the British American Security Information Council, says Tehran’s nuclear conference will challenge US strategy towards Iran.

“The Tehran conference will undermine US strategies in forming a front against Iran,” said Ingram in an interview with Mehr news agency.

Praising Tehran on holding the “Nuclear Energy for All, Nuclear Weapons for None” summit, Ingram added “Obama held the Nuclear Security Summit in an aim to reach an international consensus against Iran; however, his efforts were of no avail.”

He said holding such conferences by Iran could increase international support for Iran and decrease tension in this regard.

Officials from more than 60 countries as well as delegates from various international and non-governmental entities will take part in the two-day Tehran conference, which kicks off on Saturday.

The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) will be reviewed in the Tehran summit, since the treaty has by far proved ineffective in preventing the development of nuclear weapons.

The 60 nation meeting comes amid Western efforts to push through a fourth round of UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear energy program.

US President Barack Obama invited the leaders of 47 nations to attend the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington nearly three days ago, in an apparent pledge to secure nuclear material they possess.

“But the real action is taking place on the sidelines of the Washington sit-down, where the President is lobbying world leaders one by one to back new sanctions against Iran,” the Times reported on April 14.

The US and its allies accuse Iran of pursuing a non-peaceful nuclear energy program. Iran rejects the accusations, saying the West must focus on abandoning nuclear weapon arsenals which pose a serious threat to world peace and security.