Iran's Soltanieh slams West's silence on Israeli nukes as 'shameful'

Berlin, July 2, IRNA -- Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh here Friday lashed out at western countries, including Germany, for what he termed their
"shameful silence" on Israel's illegal nuclear weapons program.

Talking on the sidelines of a high-profile International Nuclear Disarmament Conference in Berlin, Soltanieh reiterated that the West has at times "closed their eyes and maintained a shameful silence" on the illegal nuclear activities of the Zionist regime.

Pointing out that the Berlin nuclear disarmament conference was also scheduled to discuss prospects for a nuclear weapons-free Middle East, Soltanieh said that the atomic capacities of the Zionists remain a source of concern.

He urged greater international efforts to step up pressure on the illegal Jewish state to not only destroy its nuclear arms arsenal but also make it join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Muslim and non-aligned countries have repeatedly accused the West of hypocrisy in tolerating Israel's atomic build-up, while condemning Iran for its nuclear activities which is under full IAEA control.

In one of the world's worst-kept secrets, the Zionist regime has reportedly turned into a nuclear giant.

It is estimated to have hundreds of atomic weapons, an arsenal that ranks it 5th among nuclear powers and dwarfs the programs of India, Pakistan and North Korea./end