Iran possibly defying U.N. over missiles
UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that Iran may be defying a U.N. call to halt ballistic missile development even as it complies with the nuclear deal with six world powers.
The U.N. chief says in a report to the Security Council that the United Nations is investigating Iran’s possible transfer of ballistic missiles to Houthi Shiite rebels in Yemen that may have been used in launches aimed at Saudi Arabia on July 22 and Nov. 4.
In Washington, President Trump’s envoy to the United Nations says “undeniable” evidence proves Iran is violating international law by funneling missiles to Houthi rebels.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley unveiled recently declassified evidence including segments of missiles launched at Saudi Arabia from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. She displayed the missile parts in a hanger at a military base in Washington.
Haley says the missile parts bear markings showing they originate in Iran and that they have technical specifications that are specific to Iranian-manufactured weapons.
Haley says it proves “blatant violations” of U.N. Security Council resolutions while the international community was “looking the other way” because of the nuclear deal. She says the U.S. will now rally other nations to push back on Iran’s behavior.
In the U.N. report, Guterres stressed that the nuclear deal remains “the best way” to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
He said Trump’s Oct. 13 decision not to certify the agreement under U.S. law created “considerable uncertainty” about its future. But, he added, “I am reassured that the United States has expressed its commitment to stay in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for now.”
Trump, however, has left open the possibility of pulling out of the nuclear deal.
Guterres welcomed support for the treaty from its other parties — China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, the European Union and numerous other countries.
“I encourage the United States to maintain its commitments to the plan and to consider the broader implications for the region before taking any further steps,” he said. “Similarly, I encourage the Islamic Republic of Iran to carefully consider the concerns raised by other participants in the plan.”
Trump has called the agreement a bad deal, and the U.S. has focused especially on its time limits and a provision in the Security Council resolution that calls on Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Guterres said France, Germany, Britain and the United States sent a letter saying the Simorgh Space Launch Vehicle that Iran launched on July 27, if configured as a ballistic missile, is “inherently capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”