Britain accuses Iran of flouting UN resolution with latest ballistic missile test
Britain accused Iran of disregarding a UN resolution after the Security Council debated whether a ballistic missile test three days ago could be a breach of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Speaking after the meeting, Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the UN, said the December 1 missile test was inconsistent with a UN resolution and went “way beyond legitimate defensive needs”.
“There is no legitimate reason why Iran should flout the resolution and why their spokesman should pretend that the resolution doesn’t call on them not to develop such missiles,” she said.
The UK and France – which along with the US, China, Russia and Germany signed the agreement with Iran in 2015 – put the matter before the Security Council, which gathered in a closed-doors meeting in New York.
The possible breach concerns UN resolution 2231, agreed to at the same time as the nuclear deal.
It requires Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology” until 2024 at the earliest.
The provision’s intent has been contested because of the diplomatic language: “Iran is called upon not to undertake …”
The wording does not explicitly forbid work on missiles, opening a loophole for Iranian test firing to continue. Tehran insists its missile programme is for defensive purposes only.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the test evidence that Iran has contravened the deal by testing a midrange missile capable of delivering nuclear warheads.
A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday refused to confirm the missile test had taken place.
Nikki Haley, the departing US Ambassador to the UN, insisted it had been conducted by Tehran “in defiance” of the resolution and called the test “dangerous and concerning, but not surprising”.
“The US has repeatedly warned the world about Iran’s deliberate efforts to destabilise the Middle East and defy international norms,” she said. Francois Delattre, the French ambassador to the UN, criticised Iran’s missile work and described Tuesday’s meeting as useful. But Mr Delattre could not say if the issue would be debated further.
“We, as France, call on Iran to immediately cease any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be able to carry nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology,” he said.