The United States has warned Israel indirectly against deploying nuclear weapons in its defensive arsenal. The warning came last Friday as State Department deputy spokesman Edward Djerejian said he could not confirm reports that Israel has put up Jericho missiles, which reportedly have the capability to carry nuclear warheads.
Djerejian added that President Reagan, in a statement on U.S. nuclear policy in July 1981, stressed that the U.S. “will seek to prevent the spread of nuclear explosives as a fundamental national security and foreign policy objective. We have urged Israel, as we have urged all other non-nuclear weapon states, to adhere to the non-proliferation treaty and to place all of its nuclear activities under IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards.”
While Israel has not signed the non-proliferation treaty, it has always maintained that it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East.
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