Iran Foreign Minister Calls for Japan-Iran Cooperation to Abolish WMD

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, 4 Aug 2025

Islamic Republic News Agency - TRANSCEND Media Service

2 Aug 2025 – Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has called for cooperation between Japan and Iran to eliminate weapons of mass destruction (W.M.D.s), and criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s comparison of recent U.S. aggression against Iran to Japan’s nuclear bombings in 1945.

In an opinion piece submitted to The Asahi Shimbun and other Japanese media on Saturday, Araqchi said, “Japan and Iran must lead a global movement for the total abolition of all WMDs: nuclear, chemical, and biological.”

The full text of Araqchi’s article, which comes ahead of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is as follows:

“Japan and Iran must lead a global movement for the total abolition of all WMDs: nuclear, chemical, and biological,” he wrote.

He pointed out that Iran shared the pain and suffering of WMDs with Japan, as it was targeted with chemical weapons in its war against Iraq in the 1980s.

He called the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945, “a testament to the devastating power of nuclear weapons.”

“Many survivors carry physical and psychological wounds that time has not healed,” the top Iranian diplomat wrote. “They have lived their lives in the shadow of those nuclear flashes, turning their trauma into tireless advocacy for peace and disarmament,” he added.

In June, during a NATO summit meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump equated the U.S. attack against three nuclear facilities in Iran that month with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

He told reporters, “That hit ended the war. I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war.”

The minister took issue with Trump’s comment, saying: “The remark was more than a historical misstep; it was a deep insult to the memories of the dead and the dignity of those still living with the consequences of those bombings.”

He added that in Iran, “the comparison was received with particular pain and fury.”

In 1987, during the Iran-Iraq war, the city of Sardasht in northwestern Iran came under a mustard gas attack from Iraq that killed about 130 Iranians and left several thousand with permanent disabilities.

Based on that experience, the minister wrote that Iran “has suffered from the effects of W.M.D.s in its own modern history.”

He added: “Few nations understand, as deeply as ours, the irreversible impact of W.M.D.s. We must raise our collective voice to say: never again.”

Go to Original – en.irna.ir


Tags: , , ,

Share this article:


DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

There are no comments so far.

Join the discussion!

We welcome debate and dissent, but personal — ad hominem — attacks (on authors, other users or any individual), abuse and defamatory language will not be tolerated. Nor will we tolerate attempts to deliberately disrupt discussions. We aim to maintain an inviting space to focus on intelligent interactions and debates.

85 + = 88

Note: we try to save your comment in your browser when there are technical problems. Still, for long comments we recommend that you copy them somewhere else as a backup before you submit them.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.