WESTERN POWERS UNITE TO CONDEMN IRAN ROCKET TEST

Tehran told that test was ‘inconsistent’ with UN security council resolution on nuclear accord

The United States, France, Germany and Britain have condemned Iran’s test of a satellite launching rocket this week., The four world powers said the test was “inconsistent” with the UN security council resolution on the nuclear accord with Tehran, but stopped short of calling it a breach of the deal.

“With its latest launch of a Simorgh space launch vehicle on July 27, Iran has again demonstrated activity inconsistent with UN security council resolution 2231,” the three permanent council members and Germany said. “We condemn this action.

“This resolution calls on Iran to not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such technology like this launch.

“Space launch vehicles use technologies that are closely related to those of ballistic missiles development, in particular to those of intercontinental ballistic missiles.”

The US military report last month said the technology used in the Simorgh could accelerate development of a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile, which Washington fears could be used in the future to launch a nuclear weapon.

The four countries also noted that Iran fired cruise missiles into western Syria last month and tested a medium-range ballistic missile on July 4.

The European countries said they were discussing their concerns with Iran, whose continuing development of a ballistic missile programme has a destabilising regional impact.

Since the resolution was passed in 2015, the four countries have on several occasions said Iran’s missile tests were inconsistent with the spirit, if not the letter, of the agreement they negotiated alongside Russia and China.

The resolution does not place any restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile programme, and only calls on Iran not to develop missiles expressly designed to deliver a nuclear warhead.

This loophole essentially allows Iran to test technology that it says is for conventional weapons, but which could also be used for a nuclear.

The Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, defended the space rocket launch on Twitter, saying that Iran “is not and will not be developing nuclear weapons, so by definition cannot develop anything designed to be capable of delivering them”.

France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China have not backed US president Donald Trump’s stance on the deal or Iran, as they pursue deeper economic ties with Tehran.

They have consistently expressed anger over Iran’s missile tests but have never called breaches of the deal.

Their statement shows increased rhetorical support for Mr Trump, whose state depart-

ment issued additional sanctions on Iran’s missile programme on Friday, but does not appear to mark a substantive shift in their position on the tests.

On Thursday, the US state department said that the Simorgh launch was a violation of other security council resolutions, as well as the spirit of the nuclear accord, and added six Iranian entities to US sanctions over their ties to Tehran’s ballistic missile programme.

All of the businesses are subsidiaries of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, which the US treasury says is “central” to the programme.

The launch came a day after Mr Trump warned Tehran that there would be “big, big problems” if it breached the nuclear agreement.

The world powers that negotiated the deal would not agree to reinstate international sanctions on Iran if the US was seen as scuttling the deal.

But Mr Trump is reported to be looking for ways to increase pressure on the agreement by finding stricter ways of enforcing it, including a push for inspections of Iran’s military sites where illicit nuclear work might be carried out.

For that to happen the US administration would need the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is monitoring Iranian compliance, and a majority of the signatories to the nuclear agreement to support the move.

So far the European countries and agency have resisted, citing a lack of any evidence of serious infractions.

Iran has increased the pace of its ballistic missile tests as the Trump government continues its review of policy toward its chief Middle East adversary.

Mr Trump is also set to sign a new law that places more sanctions on Russia, North Korea and Iran.

Iran’s foreign ministry yesterday condemned the new sanctions, saying “we will continue with full power our missile programme”.