Iran President calls for new body to oversee nuclear disarmament

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says any revision of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty must be done by independent countries which don't own nuclear weapons.

Ahmadinejad made the comments during an international nuclear disarmament conference in Tehran. The five-year review of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty will be held in May.

The Iranian President said the presence of possessors of nuclear weapons, particularly the United States, will impede the formation of an agreement and just commitment.

He also called for the creation of a new body, under the UN General Assembly, to oversee global nuclear disarmament. He said states that possess or threaten to use nuclear weapons should be suspended from the IAEA.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at the International Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in Tehran April 17, 2010. REUTERS/Caren Firouz