Araghchi slams Western silence over region's only nuclear arms arsenal

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Social media
5 Sep 2025 22:35

Araghchi accuses the West of double standards on nuclear proliferation, citing silence over "Israel's" nuclear arsenal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a news conference following his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, Friday, April 18, 2025 (AP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi slammed the Western attitude on nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, accusing the West of favoring the nuclear advancements of "Israel" over other countries in the region.

The Iranian foreign minister's tweet cites a news article by The Times of Israel, citing the Associated Press, showing "intense work" at the Israeli Dimona nuclear facility.

Iran has long warned that the Western hysteria over nuclear proliferation in our region is all fluff. The issue, in their view, is not the existence—or expansion—of atomic weapon arsenals. It is about who gets to advance scientifically, even with peaceful nuclear programs.

It is… pic.twitter.com/mbJ6vAECXW
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) September 5, 2025

"Iran has long warned that the Western hysteria over nuclear proliferation in our region is all fluff. The issue, in their view, is not the existence—or expansion—of atomic weapon arsenals," Araghchi stated in a post on X, adding: "It is about who gets to advance scientifically, even with peaceful nuclear programs."

Araghchi characterized the West's silence as predictable, suggesting it was willfully ignoring the apparent expansion of its ally's nuclear weapons program, with the only such arsenal in the region "in the hands of their genocidal ally."

"The E3 and the US may be in denial, but their silence is eliminating any credibility to utter anything about non-proliferation," Araghchi concluded.

For decades, "Israel" has maintained one of the world’s most secretive #nuclear programs; never declared, never inspected, and always protected by powerful allies.

Yet, on June 7, #Iran hit "Israel" hard by obtaining a treasure trove of intelligence against it, which reportedly… pic.twitter.com/uJepMycEbM
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 8, 2025

Dimona facility gets upgrade: Is 'Israel' hiking its nuclear program?

Recent satellite imagery has shown a significant increase in construction activity at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, a facility long suspected to be a key component of "Israel's" undeclared nuclear weapons program. The facility, situated near the city of Dimona in the Negev desert, is attracting renewed international scrutiny following indications that "Israel" could be enhancing its nuclear capabilities, as reported by The Independent.

The latest images, captured on July 5 by Planet Labs PBC, reveal expanded activity at the site, including what appears to be a deep, multi-level underground facility, along with visible thick concrete retaining walls and large cranes, all indicating major development in a previously excavated area. Analysts have suggested that the observed activity could indicate the construction of a new heavy-water reactor or potentially a facility dedicated to the assembly of nuclear warheads.

According to the report, seven nuclear experts who reviewed the satellite imagery concurred that the construction is likely linked to "Israel's" long-suspected nuclear weapons program, with three of them further suggesting that the size and structural characteristics of the site indicate it is most probably a new heavy water reactor. These reactors are capable of producing Plutonium, a key material used in nuclear weapons.

The remaining four experts, while acknowledging the possibility of a reactor, proposed that the construction could instead involve a nuclear warhead assembly facility, though they cautioned that the project remains in its early stages and that drawing definitive conclusions would be premature.