Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi, made the comment, following the departure of U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, John Bolton, from the U.S. administration. Bolton was known for his hawkish approach toward Iran. His removal is expected by some observers to boost the prospect of talks.
IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK
However, the ambassador said in an interview with Iran’s state media that there is no room for dialogue with the U.S. as long as Washington’s “unfair” sanctions and “economic terrorism” against Iranian people continue.
He also said that Washington’s refusal to come under a comprehensive nuclear arms control regime and its intention to resume testing of nuclear weapons is in breach of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Making the remarks in the high-level plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate and promote the International Day against Nuclear Tests on Sep. 9, Majid Takht-Ravanchi said that the latest Nuclear Proliferation Report (NPR) has found that the United States is disinclined to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and that it “will resume nuclear explosive testing, … including underground nuclear explosive testing.”
“This policy is in gross violation of its explicit legal obligations under the NPT and the unequivocal commitments it has assumed in Review Conferences of the Treaty,” he said.
Earlier Takht-Ravanchi, in an address to the United Nations Security Council meeting said any peace process for Afghanistan should be UN-facilitated, Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.
He said the Afghan government should have a central role in all peace efforts and any peace agreement should be concluded with its participation.
“We call on the regional and international players to support such a peace process and allow the future of Afghanistan to be determined exclusively by the Afghans themselves,” Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said.
