Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned that humanity remains under the shadow of roughly 12,000 nuclear warheads, many on high alert, as he addressed the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Speaking amid ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, Araghchi called nuclear weapons the greatest threat to humanity and urged the international community to revive serious disarmament efforts. He argued that continued reliance on nuclear arsenals contradicts commitments under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Araghchi reiterated that Iran does not seek to acquire nuclear weapons and described peaceful nuclear energy as an inalienable right of NPT member states. He also criticized US sanctions policies and its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, while expressing hope that the renewed diplomatic process could lead to a sustainable agreement. Calling for a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention, Araghchi concluded: “Either we dismantle nuclear weapons, or one day they will destroy us.” The remarks come as the second round of indirect Iran-US talks continues in Geneva.