US nuke threats no less than terrorism

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the threat of Washington’s nuclear weapons is ‘not much different’ from that of terrorism.

“The existence of a US nuclear arsenal threatens the international community in the exact same manner as that of terrorists,” said Mehmanparast on the sidelines of an international nuclear disarmament conference in Tehran.

Mehmanparast was referring to Washington’s controversial new nuclear policy which excludes Iran from the long list of countries against which the US says will not use nuclear weapons.

The Nuclear Posture Review is a 22,000-word policy document under which the United States promises not to use nuclear weapons against states that do not possess nuclear warheads.

Mehmanparast urged nuclear armed states, such as the United States, to fulfill their disarmament obligations under article VI of the NPT, which clearly requires signatories to move in the general direction of nuclear and total disarmament.

“Not only have [the nuclear states] refused to abide by their commitments over the past 40 years, but they have also been embroiled in a race to enhance their atomic arsenals,” he said.

Mehmanparast said he hoped that the “Nuclear Energy for all, Nuclear Weapons for None” disarmament conference in Tehran would present a more pragmatic approach to resolving one of the most important issues of global concern.