OIC: IAEA Should Inspect “Israeli” Nukes

Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) says "Israel's" nuclear weapons, which threaten regional peace and security, should be inspected.

"Israel's" nuclear weapons should be inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told a nuclear non-proliferation and security conference in Egypt on Wednesday.

The OIC secretary general called on the international community to keep pressure on Tel Aviv to give up its nuclear weapons and sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

"Israel" is widely believed to be the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East with more than 200 of atomic warheads. The IAEA and the global community have frequently called on Israel to the NPT.

OIC SG added that there is no justification to allow a handful of states to continue to possess nuclear weapons, pointed out that the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is the right of all states.

The United States has slammed the debate about "Israel's" nuclear arsenal.

Last month, US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said the IAEA is not the place where Israel's accession to the NPT can be discussed, and that Israel has fully cooperated with the IAEA.

The international community has frequently condemned the US for turning a blind eye to Tel Aviv's nuclear arsenal, while pressuring NPT members over their nuclear energy programs.