Iranian President: Iran is committed to NPT

Iranian President: Iran is committed to NPT.(Taz).

HT: Carl in Jerusalem: Steinitz: ~"I predict that we will see an Iranian attack of niceties in the coming weeks. Rohani is going to laugh all the way to the bomb." (@Ben_Birnbaum)

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said that Iran is committed to the international rules and agreements including the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iranian State IRINN TV reported.

Rouhani made the remarks during his meeting with Special Envoy of Japanese Prime Minister Masahiko Komura.

He went on to note that, Iran's nuclear issue should be resolved within the framework of international regulations, adding that the country's all nuclear activities are under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision.

Rouhani also underlined Tehran's determination to further develop bilateral ties with friendly countries, including Japan.

"The new government of Iran is determined to enhance relations with all friendly countries," he added.

Komura submitted a message from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Rouhani, and said, "The Japanese government is interested in the expansion of the old-age relations between Tokyo and Tehran".
President Rouhani expressed his gratitude for the Japanese prime minister's message, and said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the Japanese government's will and decision for the further development of the bilateral relations".

Flashback: Sept 02 - 2012: MFS The Other News: Iran looks pushing to nuke threshold.........embracing Tokyo's nuclear model?

Israel rejects UN call for nuclear transparency.

Israel rejects UN call for nuclear transparency.(RT).Israel has rebuffed a UN call to adhere to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and open itself to international inspectors, calling the suggestion a "meaningless mechanical vote" of a body that “lost all its credibility regarding Israel.”
­In a 174-6 vote, the United Nations General Assembly demanded in a non-binding call that Tel Aviv join the NPT “without further delay," in an effort to create a legally binding nuclear-free Middle East.
Washington, Israel's strongest ally, surprised no one by voting against the resolution – but did approve two paragraphs that were voted on separately, which called for universal adherence to the NPT and for all non-signatory governments to join.
The UN body "has lost all its credibility regarding Israel with these types of routine votes that are ensured passage by an automatic majority and which single out Israel," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor was quoted by Jerusalem Post as saying.
Israel is not a signatory to the 1970 Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, the main objective of which is to is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology. Despite near-universal acknowledgement that Tel Aviv maintains a powerful nuclear arsenal, Israeli officials promote a position claiming their government will “not be the first country to introduce weapons into the Middle East.”
The Middle East's only democracy possesses as many as 400 nuclear warheads, along with various ways to deliver them. It is also one of four countries known to have nuclear weapons that are not recognized as Nuclear Weapons States by the NPT. The others are India, North Korea and Pakistan.
Israel follows a policy known as "nuclear opacity," which it sees as a deterrent against its neighbors.
The timing of the Israeli dismissal of the call for transparency comes less than two weeks after Washington's withdrawal from December's nuclear-free Middle East conference, to be held in Finland and sponsored by Russia, the UK and the US.Read the full story here.

"So It Begins...... the final assault on Israel" - United Nations tells Israel to let in nuclear inspectors.

"So It Begins..... the final assault on Israel" - United Nations tells Israel to let in nuclear inspectors.(AA).The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution Monday calling on Israel to quickly open its nuclear program for inspection and backing a high-level conference to ban nuclear weapons from the Middle East which was just canceled.
All the Arab nations and Iran had planned to attend the conference in mid-December in Helsinki, Finland, but the United States announced on Nov. 23 that it wouldn’t take place, citing political turmoil in the region and Iran’s defiant stance on nonproliferation. Iran and some Arab nations countered that the real reason for the cancellation was Israel’s refusal to attend.
The resolution, approved by a vote of 174-6 with 6 abstentions, calls on Israel to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty “without further delay” and open its nuclear facilities to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Those voting “no” were Israel, the U.S., Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.
Resolutions adopted by the 193-member General Assembly are not legally binding but they do reflect world opinion and carry moral and political weight.
Israel refuses to confirm or deny it has nuclear bombs though it is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal. It has refused to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, or NPT, along with three nuclear weapon states - India, Pakistan and North Korea.
Israel has long said there first must be a Mideast peace agreement before the establishment of a Mideast zone free of weapons of mass destruction. The region’s Muslim nations argue that Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal presents the greatest threat to peace in the region.
Just before Monday’s vote, Iranian diplomat Khodadad Seifi told the assembly “the truth is that the Israeli regime is the only party which rejected to conditions for a conference.” He called for “strong pressure on that regime to participate in the conference without any preconditions.”
Israeli diplomat Isi Yanouka said his country has continuously pointed to the danger of nuclear proliferation in the Mideast, singling out Iran and Syria by name.
“All these cases challenge Israel’s security and cast a dark shadow at the prospect of embarking on a meaningful regional security process,” he said.
“The fact that the sponsors include in this anti-Israeli resolution language referring to the 2012 conference proves above all the ill-intent of the Arab states with regard to this conference,” Yanouka said.
Syrian diplomat Abdullah Hallak told the assembly his government was angry that the conference wasn’t going to take place because of “the whim of just one party, a party with nuclear warheads.”
“We call on the international community to put pressure on Israel to accept the NPT, get rid of its arsenal and delivery systems, in order to allow for peace and stability in our region,” he said.
The conference’s main sponsors are the U.S., Russia and Britain. British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt has said it is being postponed, not cancelled.
While the United States voted against the resolution, it voted in favor of two paragraphs in it that were put to separate votes. Both support universal adherence to the NPT, and call on those countries that aren’t parties to ratify it “at the earliest date.” The only “no” votes on those paragraphs were Israel and India.Hmmmm......Obama: "But I’m also mindful of the proverb, “A man is judged by his deeds, not his words.” So if you want to know where my heart lies, look no further than what I have done — to stand up for Israel." Read the full story here.