Zarif Slams EU3 for Their Claims on Iran Missile Program
IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has referred to a statement issued by Washington to refute allegations made European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal claiming Iran’s missile activities have violated the deal.
“Brian Hook (US Special Representative for Iran) has given our E3 JCPOA partners a timely reminder, openly admitting that missile testing is NOT prohibited in Security Council Resolution 2231,” the foreign minister said in a tweet on Friday.
Zarif quoted a statement made by Hook during a State Department briefing on Thursday which said, “One of the deficiencies of the Iran nuclear deal is that it ended the prohibition on Iran’s ballistic missile testing.”
Brian Hook has given our E3 #JCPOA partners a timely reminder, openly admitting that missile testing is NOT prohibited in Security Council Resolution 2231:
Zarif’s Friday remarks came in response to a letter authored by the European signatories of the deal, comprised of France, Germany and Britain, which circulated on Wednesday.
The letter, addressing UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, accused Tehran of possessing “nuclear-capable ballistic missiles”.
Britain, France and Germany claim Iran has “nuclear-capable ballistic missiles” and that its latest missile activities are “inconsistent” with a UN resolution that endorsed the accord.
The letter claimed that Iran’s latest missile activities were “inconsistent” with UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the accord in 2015.
On Thursday, Zarif rejected the European accusations as a “desperate falsehood” seeking to cover up the EU3’s “miserable incompetence” in fulfilling their commitments under the accord.
Zarif also posted a letter written by the head of Iran’s mission to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi sent to Guterres detailing a legal response to the European accusations.
Ravanchi argued that Iran’s activities “related to space launch vehicles and ballistic missiles fall outside of the purview of competence of Resolution 2231 (2015) and its annexes.”
In that letter, Iran’s ambassador to UN had rebutted claims leveled by the EU3 against Iran’s missile activities, noting that the countries activities “related to space launch vehicles and ballistic missiles fall outside of the purview of competence of Resolution 2231 (2015) and its annexes.”
The letter added, “….given the mandate set forth in the note by the President of the Security Council on Security Council tasks under Resolution 2231 …, the secretary general is therefore expected to avoid reporting on such irrelevant activities in his reports on the implementation of that resolution.”
“At the same time, the international community must be extremely vigilant regarding the politically motivated approach by the United Nations and certain other industrialized countries, which, under such absurd pretexts as proliferation concerns, attempt to demonize benign technologies such as space technology that are critical for the socioeconomic development of all nations, particularly developing countries.”
Iran’s ambassador to UN concluded by saying, “I would like to stress once against that Iran is determined to resolutely continue its activities related to ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles, both of which are within its inherent rights under international law and are necessary for securing its security as well as socioeconomic interests.
Washington withdrew from the multilateral nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions against Iran.
The Trump administration made the move demanding a “new deal” that would limit Iran’s defensive missile capabilities and regional anti-terrorism and defense cooperation with its regional allies.
