Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a secluded Israeli atomic reactor weeks ago to warn the nation’s enemies he had the means to wipe them out in an apparent reference to the country’s nuclear arsenal.
In a letter penned to the body’s security council by Iran ambassador Gholamali Khoshrou, he said: “The United Nations’ members should not turn a blind eye to these threats and must take firm actions to eliminate all Israeli nuclear weapons.”
He then demanded the UN security general forces Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and bring its nuclear programme under supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Israel has neither confirmed or denied housing nuclear weapons and has dubbed suspicion of the country having them as “ambiguity” that arose over their bid to keep hostile neighbours in check.
Israel is trying to lobby world powers to follow the United States in exiting their 2015 deal with Iran that capped the Islamic Republic’s nuclear capabilities in return for lifting of sanctions.
Since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has preached Israel’s destruction, backing Lebanese militia Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
Iran’s reinforcement of Damascus during Syria’s civil war is seen by Israel as a further deployment on their borders.
Iran’s crumbling relationship with the US has put the Middle East area in crisis since President Donald Trump came into power in 2016.
Crippling sanctions put Iran has seen the nation descend into financial turmoil.
Recently, the US targeted Iran’s oil exports over its nuclear weapons programme.
Mr Trump also claimed a victory over the nation after car manufacturing giant Volkswagen today announced they would halt production in Iran.