US urges UN to condemn Iran missile test

UNITED NATIONS, US: The US on Tuesday urged the UN Security Council to condemn Iran for carrying out a ballistic missile test, describing the launch as dangerous and a violation of a UN resolution.

The council met behind closed doors at the request of France and Britain which, along with the US, have accused Iran of test-fi ring a medium-range ballistic missile on Saturday.

France and Britain maintain that missile launches are inconsistent with the UN resolution that endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal while the US has taken a harder stance and views them as an outright violation.

“Iran’s recent ballistic missile test was dangerous and concerning, but not surprising,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement.

“The international community cannot keep turning a blind eye every time Iran blatantly ignores Security Council resolutions.

“If the Security Council is serious about holding Iran accountable and enforcing our resolutions, then at a minimum we should be able to deliver a unanimous condemnation of this provocative missile test,” she said.

Iran has long maintained that its missile program is defensive in nature, a stance generally supported by Russia at the Security Council.

In a statement, the Iranian mission to the UN accused the US of creating confusion about the wording of the resolution and insisting its missile-related activities were legal.

The UN resolution calls on Iran to refrain from testing missiles capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, but does not specifically bar Tehran from missile launches.

“Portraying Iran’s ballistic missile program as inconsistent with resolution 2231 or as a regional threat is a deceptive and hostile policy of the US,” the Iranian mission said.

Iran has neither denied nor confirmed the launch that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said involved a missile of a medium range, capable of carrying multiple warheads and striking parts of Europe and the entire Middle East. — AFP