TEHRAN - Iran kicked off the second International Nuclear Disarmament Conference in Tehran on Sunday, calling for practical mechanisms to the issue of nuclear disarmament.
Addressing the opening ceremony of an international nuclear disarmament conference in Tehran on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said the conference is aimed at developing some practical mechanisms to nuclear disarmament.

Salehi expressed hope that the conference could help develop popular disarmament culture and establish a world without the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
Today, the international community is facing the threats by nuclear weapons more than ever, the Iranian foreign minister said.
A few countries in the world possess some 23,000 nuclear warheads, he said, adding that this is a potential risk for the world and it may lead to an unprecedented disaster.
He said that during the past 40 years of NPT mandatory conventions, no significant breakthrough has taken place in nuclear disarmament and the nuclear powers have not implemented their obligation in this regard.

Iran believes that the use of nuclear weapons should be legally banned, as it has been done with the chemical and microbial weapons pursuant to the mandatory conventions, he said.
The ex-head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said that Iran is not only against nuclear weapons, but also against other WMDs which are threats against humanity.
Also, Salehi said Sunday that Israel should join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and accept the watch and inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into its nuclear establishments.

Salehi said Israel is the only obstacle to creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons.
In order to establish stability in the Middle East region, the global community should push Israel to join NPT and make it accept the watch and inspection of IAEA into its nuclear facilities, he said.
Israel possesses different kinds of weapons of mass destruction and has caused the region to face a serious threat, he added.
Salehi also criticized the United States, describing it as the major violator of the NPT.

The United States has played an active role in spreading out nuclear weapons, and surprisingly, it shows itself as the advocator of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, said Salehi.
On Sunday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad-Mahdi Akhoundzadeh said in the ceremony that the use of nuclear weapons is a crime against humanity.
Nuclear weapons are the most inhumane weapons in the world, said Akhoundzadeh, adding that the tragic event of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the apparent examples.
The disarmament conference in Tehran is seeking to voice the public opinion of the world for "a world free from nuclear weapons, " he said.
Tehran's two-day conference brings together delegates from 40 different nations across the world, including ambassadors and representatives from international bodies such as the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Akhoundzadeh told reporters on Saturday that the event comprises three specialized panels which will discuss the doctrines of nuclear powers, take practical measures to have a world free of weapons of mass destruction and review regional as well as international disarmament commitments.
The conference would also shed light on Israel's policy of deliberate ambiguity on nuclear weapons, he said, adding that the United States and its allies continue to put pressure on non- nuclear weapons states such as Iran, while ignoring Israel's growing nuclear threat to the Middle East.

Last year, Iran hosted the first Nuclear Disarmament Conference with the theme of "Nuclear Energy for All, Nuclear Weapon for None. "
According to local satellite Press TV, Iran plans to hold the third International Nuclear Disarmament Conference at ministerial level, during which the country will once again promote its message that all nations are entitled to peaceful nuclear energy.  (Xinhua)