Ron Prosor
Ron ProsorFlash 90

Israel condemned on Tuesday the selection of Iran for a high-level position on a United Nations committee dealing with disarmament and international security issues.

Israel's UN Ambassador Ron Prosor said in a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council that "it is inconceivable" that a country under UN sanctions over its nuclear program would be allowed to hold the position of rapporteur on a committee dealing with nuclear disarmament.

"Permitting Iran to serve on the UN's leading disarmament committee is like appointing a drug lord CEO of a pharmaceutical company," Prosor wrote in the letter.

"Iran’s appointment erodes the UN’s legitimacy and its ability to promote arms control and disarmament as well as, preserve global peace and security," he added.

Prosor said that "rather than provide a global stage for Iran’s defiance and deception, the UN should shine a spotlight on the regime’s ongoing pursuit of nuclear weapons and its support for terrorism across the globe."

The 193-member Disarmament and International Security Committee unanimously chose Iran for the position of rapporteur soon after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly on October 2, accusing Iran of continuing to pursue nuclear weapons.

Earlier this year, Iran was elected as the rotating chair of the UN Conference on Disarmament, causing the United States to announce that its ambassador to the conference would boycott any meeting led by Tehran.

Iran, which faces four rounds of UN sanctions over its nuclear program, defended its election, saying it was “in its right in accordance with the established practice and rules of procedure of this organ.”