Middle East nuclear weapon free zone

Steps towards the establishment of such a zone began in the 1960s led to a joint declaration by Egypt and Iran in 1974 which resulted in a General Assembly resolution (broadened in 1990 through the Mubarak Initiative to cover all weapons of mass destruction).

[1] Following the 1995 NPT Review Conference, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held a series of meetings involving experts and academics to consider ways to advance this process.

[4] Steps towards the establishment of such a zone began in the 1960s led to a joint declaration by Egypt and Iran in 1974 which resulted in a General Assembly resolution (broadened in 1990 through the Mubarak Initiative to cover all weapons of mass destruction).

[citation needed] The United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 (the ceasefire ending the Gulf War) recognizes the goal of establishing the MENWFZ (para 14).

Following the 1995 NPT Review Conference, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held a series of meetings involving experts and academics to consider ways to advance this process.

[10] As an international non-governmental organization (NGO), METO's mission is in the spirit of the 2013 initiatives calling to expand the proposed MENWFZ to all weapons of mass destruction.

The draft treaty text facilitated by METO's process was brought to the United Nations General Assembly by Egypt on 22 December 2018, alongside a proposal to launch an annual conference to discuss the zone.

[15] Iran has denied that it is pursuing a nuclear-weapons capability and insists that its nuclear program solely aims at meeting its growing civilian energy needs.

[citation needed] In early November 2012, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, announced that his country planned to attend the WMD-free MidEast conference.