In this time of rancour, fear and war, peaceful nuclear cooperation in the Middle East is still possible | Javad Zarif

Whatever the stance of Israel, states in the Middle East and north Africa must move towards disarmament and jointly seize the possibilities

• Javad Zarif was Iran's foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator from 2013-2021

• Report: Former Iranian foreign minister proposes regional nuclear pact

Ten years ago, after the Iran nuclear deal, I wrote in the Guardian about the urgent need for global nuclear disarmament - starting with the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free from weapons of mass destruction. A decade later, as our region teeters on the edge of catastrophe, that call is no longer just noble - it is essential.

The proposal was not a new Iranian initiative. As far back as 1974, Iran proposed a zone free from nuclear weapons in the Middle East at the UN, and was soon joined by Egypt. That proposal passed overwhelmingly in the general assembly. After Iraq's use of chemical weapons during the Iran-Iraq war, the initiative was expanded in 1990 to cover all weapons of mass destruction. But for half a century, progress has been blocked by Israel and its main patron, the United States.

Javad Zarif is associate professor of global studies at the University of Tehran. He was Iran's foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator from 2013-21. His co-author is Mohsen Baharvand, who was Iran's deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the UK