Thursday 6 March 2008

UN must investigate Israel's nukes

Iran has demanded that the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) investigate "how Israel became a nuclear superpower," Army Radio reported Wednesday.

"What was the rationale that guided the governments of France and other nations in supplying the Zionist regime with nuclear weapons?" Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki asked at a UN session in Geneva Tuesday night.

Iran and a number of nations were "willing to look into the matter," he said.

Mottaki also called for a worldwide nuclear disarmament, claiming that "[nuclear] weapons are just as illegal as chemical and biological weapons."

Israel has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and according to foreign reports, has a large arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Mottaki's comments came days after the UN Security Council approved new sanctions on Iran for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.

Teheran on Tuesday rejected the new UN resolution, calling it "worthless" and "politically-motivated."

"This resolution is contrary to the spirit and articles of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It has been issued based on political motivations and a biased approach. It is worthless and unacceptable," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Ali Hosseini said, according to the state news agency IRNA.

AP contributed to this report.

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