Iranian FM: Israel is the only one with secret, undeclared nuclear program

Zarif called Netanyahu's evidence for his claims an "arts and crafts show."

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 09:50

Updated: SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 10:56

Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Zarif at the U.N. (photo credit: EDUARDO MUNOZ / REUTERS) — Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Zarif at the U.N.

(photo credit: EDUARDO MUNOZ / REUTERS)

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, in response to Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, in a Tweet on Friday morning called out Israel for having the only "secret and "undeclared" nuclear weapons program.

"No arts & craft show will ever obfuscate that Israel is only regime in our region with a *secret* and *undeclared* nuclear weapons program - including an *actual atomic arsenal*. Time for Israel to fess up and open its illegal nuclear weapons program to international inspectors," he wrote on Twitter.

Earlier in the night, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Bahram Qassemi had said the world will laugh at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims about a secret atomic warehouse in Tehran.

"The world will only laugh loudly at this type of false, meaningless and unncessary speech," he was quoted by Iranian Fars News Agency as saying.

In his speech in front of the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disclosed the existence of a facility in Iran’s capital that he referred to as an “atomic warehouse” full of material related to the country’s nuclear program.

Seeking to pressure the International Atomic Energy Agency to pay attention to Israel’s findings and inspect the new site, Netanyahu declassified details of its contents and warned that Iran was in the process of clearing the facility since he revealed in April a special ops raid of a nearby Iranian nuclear archive facility by Israeli agents.

“They had to get it out of the site, so they took it out and they spread it around Tehran in an effort to hide the evidence,” he asserted, suggesting that Iranian citizens were at risk of exposure.

To prove his claims, Netanyahu brought photos and maps of the nondescript building, which he described as adjacent to a nearby rug cleaning facility.

Michael Wilner contributed to this report.