Iran has blasted the United States for its uncooperative stance on nuclear disarmament, calling for the strengthening of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the official IRNA news agency reported Saturday.

"The US tried to create smoke screens in the NPT conference in order to deflect attention from its abysmal record," Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was quoted as saying.

Zarif made the comments in New York on Friday after the 2005 Review Conference on the NPT wrapped up without positive fruits.

The diplomat also condemned the increase of nuclear weapons and urged the world community to strengthen the NPT.

"Holding and expanding nuclear arsenal should be condemned rather than condoned or tolerated. Any increase in nuclear capability should equal a reduction in political credibility," Zarif said.

"The NPT remains the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and the ability to develop and pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Therefore, the NPT must be preserved and strengthened," he added.

Zarif further stressed that Iran is committed to the NPT and the non-proliferation regime, urging the international community to act with a concerted and firm resolve to stop the "fast pace" of nuclear proliferation.

Iran, accused of secretly developing nuclear weapons by Washington, has rebuked the US for applying "double standards" on the issue of nuclear non-proliferation.

Tehran said its nuclear program is fully peaceful and insists that it will never give up its natural rights granted by the NPT.

Source: Xinhua