Iran calls for negotiations on a treaty to achieve nuclear disarmament by a target date

UNITED NATIONS – Iran is accusing the five nuclear powers of failing to take concrete action to eliminate their stockpiles and is calling for negotiations on a treaty to achieve nuclear disarmament by a target date.

Iran's deputy U.N. ambassador Gholam Hossein Dehghani told the U.N. Conference on Disarmament on Wednesday that "a comprehensive, binding, irreversible, verifable" treaty is the most effective and practical way to eliminate nuclear weapons.

He accused the nuclear powers — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — of promising nuclear disarmament but making no progress and said the timetable should be set during negotiations.

Dehghani's speech came days after the announcement of a framework agreement between Iran and the five nuclear powers and Germany aimed at keeping Tehran from being able to develop a nuclear weapon.