Zarif: Iran has reached a nuclear agreement; now it's Israel's turn

Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, stated in an article published on Friday, August 1, in the British newspaper The Guardian, that the nuclear agreement in Vienna between Iran and the 5+1 group establishes Iran's position as a nuclear-free zone, and now it is time for the rest of the Middle East to join Iran. According to Mr. Zarif, it is now the turn of countries like Israel to abandon their nuclear weapons. Israel, whose senior officials have completely opposed the Vienna nuclear agreement, has never acknowledged that it possesses a nuclear arsenal and has long adopted a policy of 'nuclear ambiguity,' neither confirming nor denying its nuclear weapons. However, as The Guardian reports, experts believe that Israel has at least 80 nuclear warheads. The Islamic Republic and its counterpart, the 5+1 group, officially announced on July 13 in Vienna, the capital of Austria, that after years of negotiations, they have reached an agreement whereby Iran will cease extensive nuclear activities, and in return, the sanctions imposed on Tehran will be reduced. Now, the Iranian Foreign Minister points the finger at Israel and also at countries outside the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) and states that it is now their turn to bridge the gap between themselves and the NPT signatory countries. The Guardian's report on the Iranian Foreign Minister's article interprets his remarks as a jab at the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—namely the United States, Russia, France, China, and the United Kingdom—along with three other nuclear countries that, like Israel, have so far refrained from signing the NPT: India, Pakistan, and North Korea. He writes: 'Today, following the Vienna agreement, it is time for nuclear weapon holders to take serious disarmament actions and strengthen the non-proliferation regime to bridge this gap.' Mohammad Javad Zarif continues: 'It is time for nuclear weapon holders to come to terms with this vital reality that we now live in a global security environment.' According to Mr. Zarif, a step 'in the right direction' could initiate discussions aimed at reaching a treaty for the elimination of nuclear weapons, a treaty 'backed by strong oversight and verification mechanisms.' Since 1986, around the end of the Cold War, when it was said that there were over 65,000 nuclear warheads in the world, nuclear powers have reduced their arsenals. Currently, as The Guardian reports, there are fewer than 16,000 nuclear warheads in the world, of which nearly 15,000 are in the hands of the United States and Russia.