Iran was elected one of 34 vice presidents of the 11th Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in a stunning rebuke of U.S. domination. Iran was chosen by the 121-member Non-Aligned Movement, whose members “strongly support genuine nuclear disarmament and the sovereign right to peaceful nuclear technology,” reported PressTV.
Predictably, the U.S. envoy, Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Nonproliferation Christopher Yeaw, went berserk after U.S. efforts to prevent Iran’s selection failed. He called Iran’s selection “an affront” to the NPT and claimed that it was “indisputable that Iran has long demonstrated its contempt for the non-proliferation commitments of the NPT,” and had refused to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog to resolve questions about its program. He called Iran’s selection “beyond shameful and an embarrassment to the credibility of this conference.”
Iran’s Ambassador to the UN in Vienna Reza Najafi categorically rejected the U.S. accusations as “baseless and politically motivated.” He slammed Washington’s hypocrisy, pointing out that the United States is the only country to have ever used nuclear weapons, continues to expand its own nuclear arsenal in violation of the NPT, and actively blocks the creation of a “weapons of mass destruction” free zone in West Asia by shielding “the Zionist regime’s” undeclared nuclear stockpile.
Najafi also condemned recent U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities as “a grave violation of international law and a direct assault on the integrity of the global nonproliferation regime.”
PressTV characterizes Yeaw’s outburst as the latest example of diplomatic bullying that is part of Washington’s broader campaign of aggression against Iran, including illegal sanctions, military strikes, and repeated attempts to undermine Iran’s legitimate rights under the NPT.
