Iran: IAEA chief’s admission of Israeli nuclear weapons 'important'

A senior Iranian official says head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi's admission of Israeli nuclear weapons tasks him and the agency with a heavy responsibility. 

Grossi should now push for the destruction of these weapons and the Zionist regime's membership in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran’s Deputy Foreign minister for legal and international affairs Kazem Gharibabdi wrote on X Thursday.

“The fact that the IAEA director general has admitted for the first time to the existence of nuclear weapons in the Zionist regime is a significant and important issue. Of course, this confession makes his and the agency's duty very heavy,” he said.

"Mere confession is not enough, he must condemn the existence of such weapons in the hands of this criminal regime and demand their destruction and also the regime's accession to the Non-Proliferation Treaty," he added.

Gharibabadi also described the IAEA chief’s allegations about the possibility of nuclear proliferation by Tehran as completely unprofessional and politically motivated.

He said Grossi cannot utter whatever he wishes on the basis of possibilities and speculations, just like political figures with political motives.

Iran, he said, complies with its commitments under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and will not accept additional inspections beyond its commitments as long as unjust sanctions are in place.

“Therefore, if the [IAEA] director general observes a deviation of nuclear materials during the verification process, he can document and report it rather than making his speculations known to the media."

Palestine calls for elimination of Israel’s nuclear arsenal, end to its atomic program

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki says Israel must join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and eliminate its stockpile of nuclear arms.

During his speech at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum on Wednesday, Grossi spoke about tensions between Iran and Israel and referred to what he called “a nuclear weapons dimension.”

“On one side, the assumed presence of nuclear weapons looms in the background”, Grossi said of Israel. “On the other, the very real potential of nuclear proliferation is raising the stakes”, he commented about Iran’s nuclear program regardless of the country’s assurance that its nuclear activities remain peaceful.

Israel, which pursues a policy of deliberate ambiguity about its nuclear weapons, is estimated to possess 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, making it the sole possessor of non-conventional arms in West Asia.

The illegitimate entity has, however, refused to either allow inspections of its military nuclear facilities or sign the NPT.

What has emboldened Tel Aviv to accelerate its nuclear activities, according to observers, is the support from the United States and Europe, the two parties most critical of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.

Over the years, the regime has assassinated at least seven Iranian nuclear scientists and conducted a series of sabotage operations against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities.

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