Iranian official says Israel's nuclear arsenal cannot be ignored in disarmament debate

Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, has said that Israel's nuclear arsenal cannot be ignored in international discussions about disarmament.

Speaking from Tehran, Gharibabadi questioned how the international community could meaningfully discuss disarmament while, in his view, overlooking Israel's nuclear weapons capability.

Israel has long maintained a policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear capabilities, neither confirming nor denying possession of nuclear weapons, a stance that has drawn periodic criticism from Iran and other countries in the region.

Iran's own nuclear program has been the subject of extensive international scrutiny and negotiation for years, with Tehran maintaining that its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. Iranian officials have frequently pointed to what they describe as a double standard in how international attention is applied to nuclear capabilities in the region.

The comments come amid continuing regional tensions and ongoing international debate over nuclear proliferation and disarmament efforts in the Middle East.