Iran urges U.S., France to honor int'l nuclear disarmament agreements

Iran's representative to international organizations in Vienna urged the United States and France to honor nuclear disarmament treaties and refrain from nuclear-capable military tests, Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.

Kazem Gharibabadi referred to recent French Navy's launch of a new generation of intercontinental ballistic missile that can be fitted with several nuclear nose-cones.

He also pointed to western reports about U.S. officials discussing possibility of conducting nuclear-test explosions, saying that "unfortunately, the international community recently witnessed a destructive approach towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation treaties by some of the nuclear states."

He noted that modernization and testing of nuclear weapons undermine the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and "threaten the international peace and security."

Gharibabadi stressed Iran's "long-standing and principled position on the need for the total elimination of all nuclear weapons."