(17th meeting) Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of Iran

1. 🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of IranFirst replyin response to United States▶ 3:07:08 · 4 min

   Thank you, Mr. President. My delegation would like to dedicate its final right of reply at this review conference, not to dignify the absurd allegations made by the representatives of the United States and a few Western countries with a response. If international law and the NPT were genuinely upheld, the United States and its allies would today be sitting in this hall as the violators, not portraying themselves as guardians of the NPT. However, we would like to place certain facts on the record. Iran was the initiator of the idea of establishing a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East as early as 1968. Iran was also the state that formally requested on July 15, 1974, the inclusion of the item entitled Establishment of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the Region of the Middle East in the provisional agenda of the 29th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Iran has consistently and actively participated in all efforts towards the establishment of such a zone, including the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Iran is the only state whose highest religion authority, who was martyred in a joint attack carried out by the US and the Israeli regime, issued a fatwa explicitly prohibiting nuclear weapons. Despite the assassination of its nuclear scientists, Iran has continued to pursue peaceful nuclear activities under safeguards. Iran is subject to the most extensive and rigorous IAEA inspections in the world. Despite more than two decades of sanctions and pressure, Iran has consistently maintained the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. Despite two unlawful attacks on its peaceful nuclear facilities, Iran has maintained the peaceful nature of its program. Iran remains the only country subjected simultaneously to sanctions, assassinations, sabotage, military attacks, and extraordinary political pressure while still maintaining the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. Iran has paid far higher price for not pursuing nuclear weapons than some others have paid while actually possessing them. And yet, according to the IAA itself, not even one gram of Iran's nuclear material has been diverted from peaceful purposes. Mr President, what more must a state do to demonstrate its commitment to the treaty? If all of these does not constitute the highest level of commitment to the treaty, then one must ask, what does commitment mean? Mr President. It should be recalled that the United States and its protege, the Israeli regime, used in the past a weak and non-consensual resolution of the Board of Governors as a pretext for unlawful attacks against Iran and its peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities. We could not allow language in a consensus outcome document to be similarly exploited to justify further unlawful attacks and acts of aggression. And finally, I ask all delegations that raise baseless allegations against Iran. What answer will you give to your own conscience and to future generations? Then asked why, on the eve of the NPT Review Conference, Iran's peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities were attacked two ways. Yet instead of condemning those unlawful attacks and holding the perpetrators accountable, you choose instead to condemn the victims. I thank you, Mr. President.

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