A resolution proposed by Iran aimed at the disarmament of nuclear states has been approved by the United Nations despite obstruction of the US and its allies.
The resolution calls on all countries armed with nuclear weapons to destroy their arsenal in accordance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
They also have to stop manufacturing new nuclear weapons and exporting them to other countries, or deploying them on foreign soil.
On Saturday, the UN First Committee voted 112 for and 44 against the non-binding measure, while 15 countries abstained from voting.
The United States, Israel, Britain, Russia and France were among those countries who voted against the resolution.
Tehran devised the resolution based on the ratification of the Review Conferences of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty hold in 1995, 2000, and 2010.
In 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, was ratified, and it was extended indefinitely in 1995. Under the treaty, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom — were acknowledged as nuclear powers, and other countries that joined the treaty agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons development, although they are allowed to use nuclear technology for non-military purposes.
Israel, India and Pakistan never signed the treaty while North Korea signed the treaty but withdrew in 2003 and has tested nuclear devices since then. China, India, and Pakistan are all pursuing new ballistic missile, cruise missile, and sea-based nuclear delivery systems.
