UN nuclear agency calls for rare Mideast talks on non-proliferation

Israel, Arab states signal readiness to join talks but Iran says no 'justification' for proposed forum now.

Israel is widely assumed to hold the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal and is also the only country in the region outside the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Arab states, backed by Iran, say this poses a threat to peace and stability. They want Israel to subject all its atomic facilities to IAEA monitoring.
Israel, which has never confirmed or denied having atom bombs, says it will only join the NPT if there is a comprehensive Middle East peace. If it signed the pact, Israel would have to renounce nuclear weaponry