Iran calls for a world free of nuclear weapons

[sonz]

Iran called on Monday for a world “free of nuclear weapons” after North Korea announced that it conducted an atomic weapons test, AFP reported.

"Iran's position is clear and Iran on principle believes in a world free of nuclear weapons," Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Muhammad Ali Hosseini, said on Monday.

"Iran is hopeful that negotiations on North Korea's nuclear activities can go ahead in the interest of both North Korea and the international community," he added.

Without naming North Korea, another top Iranian official told Reuters: “any move that endangers the world's peace and security is unacceptable to Iran.”

The international community condemned North Korea on Monday after it announced that it successfully completed an underground nuclear test.

Western powers suspect that Iran too is seeking nuclear weapons, an allegation strongly denied by Tehran, which insists that its atomic program is strictly aimed at the peaceful generation of electricity.

* “Different case”

Although the U.S. named North Korea and Iran as part of an “axis of evil”, an American official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters on Monday that "North Korea is a different case…”

Other U.S. and EU officials also dismissed direct comparisons between the two countries.

"Iran is a democracy…North Korea is a dictatorship led by a man who people don't know very much about," a British government official said.

However, Israeli officials were less reluctant to draw comparisons between the two countries.

"Now that North Korea has proven nuclear capabilities, it is liable to collaborate with Iran, and accelerate the Iranian nuclear program," a senior Israeli diplomat claimed.

The UN’s five permanent members – the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China – plus Germany agreed on Friday to discuss sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment program.

Similarly, the UN Security Council is expected to meet as soon as possible to discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Hajo Funke, a professor of political science at the Free University in Berlin, said the North Korean nuclear test would have no impact on the EU’s plan to impose sanctions against Tehran.

However, he said that while North Korea may have the atomic bomb, Iran is far from that point.

The Islamic Republic is a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and insists that it’s in full compliance with the pact. North Korea was also a signatory to the NPT but quit in 2003 after admitting to a secret enrichment program.

Tehran has hinted it could withdraw from the pact, but never has.

* Iran warns of retaliation

Meanwhile, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed to impose sanctions on world powers if the UN carries out its threats to penalize his country.

"We will also impose sanctions on them," Ahmadinejad said late Sunday, without specifying which measures Iran might impose on Western powers.

"In the past 27 years they have always threatened us with sanctions and during this time they did everything they could…

“They do their thing and in return we will do ours,” the Iranian President added.

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, has always insisted that it won’t use oil as a weapon in the nuclear standoff.

[therebbe]

Yet they aspire to get them a lot.

Why not set the example??? :rollseyes

[Zulkiflim]

Salaam,

The US did not attack NK becasue it has WMD,,
It did attack IRaq because it does not have WMD.

[Zulkiflim]

Yet they aspire to get them a lot.

Why not set the example??? :rollseyes

Salaam,

Even if Iran were to want nucler weapon,which it denies and no one has any proof..

Why should it stop in the face of Israeli and US wanton arrogance and aggresion?

If Iran was weak,or like Leabanon,,,,where the west hold the purse string and its militray,Israel would be allowed to decimate all Iranina just like it did wiht the Plaestinian and Lebanese.

As the US say,every coutnry have a right to defend itself,and offensive is the best defence.

Israel and the US is followng the policy,why cant Iran or NK?