Iranian Envoy Terms Access to WMDs against Teachings of Islam
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency reiterated Tehran’s strong opposition to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), saying that access and use of the weapons is inconsistent with the Islamic teachings.
“We believe that having access to or using the WMDs is in contradiction to our Islamic teachings,” Reza Najafi said, addressing the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons held from December 8 to 9 in the Austrian capital.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a victim of WMDs, strongly believes that the possession of nuclear weapons will not establish or guarantee security for any country,” he said.
“The only absolute guarantee against the threat posed by the inhumane weapons is the total elimination of them under strict international control,” he added.
He also pointed to the remarks made by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei back in 2012 in the opening ceremony of Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran, saying that Iran regards using nuclear or chemical weapons and the like as “a great and unforgivable sin”.
Known as a major victim of WMDs and chemical weapons in the world, Iran has on multiple occasions voiced its steadfast opposition to such weapons.
During the eight-year Iraqi imposed war on the Islamic Republic in the 1980s, more than 1,000,000 Iranians were exposed to chemical agents of different types used by the Iraqi forces.
