Iran against possession, use of mass destructive weapons

The perception of Iran pursuing a nuclear weapon program is "wrong" and at the same time "dangerous, " said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif in a disarmament conference in Istanbul on Friday. The Iranian foreign minister made the statement at the conference while explaining Iranian nuclear standoff with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. "For Iran even to have perception in the world that we are seeking for nuclear weapons is a threat to our security. So it is in our interest, it should be in our objective for the world to know that we have nothing to do with nuclear weapons. We do not seek them, we do not want them, and we do not believe that they have any use for us," he said. Zarif repeated that Iran is committed to the same principle with the West in non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, adding that Iran's uranium enrichment program pursues peaceful purposes. "There is actually an augmented level of mistrust that has been created by all sides and we need to address them," he said while talking about the mistrust between Iran and the West. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that in order to guarantee regional and global security, creation of a collective understanding of security is essential. "We should all accept the fact that the use of nuclear weapons and chemical weapons are crime against humanity. No matter who, when and why they are used," Davutoglu said. Zarif is participating in the 60th Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, "Dialogue, Disarmament, and Regional and Global Security," which kicked off in Istanbul Friday. During the five-day conference, participants are expected to explore creative solutions to the world's most challenging problems. Apart from attending the conference, Turkish-Iranian bilateral ties, regional developments and Iran's nuclear talks are on the top of Zarif's agenda. Zarif had a close door meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Friday and will also meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.