28 Mar 2024
Sunday 26 April 2020 - 14:26
Story Code : 374566

US tells UN to renew Iran arms embargo in breach of nuclear deal

Press TV - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hascalled on the United Nations Security Councilto extend its conventional armsembargo on Iran, set to expire in October,citing Tehrans recent satellite launch.

In a statement, Pompeo repeatedhis allegations against Iran, saying Tehran "should not be allowed to buy and sellconventional weapons.

He said Irans announcement Wednesday thatit had launched its first military satelliteshowed that its space program whichTehran has long insisted is peaceful andcivilian was in fact neither peaceful norentirely civilian.

Pompeo claimed that thetechnology used to launch the satellite wascompatible with that used to launch ballisticmissiles, saying"Irans dangerous missileprograms"needs to be constrained.

He further called on the European Union to sanction those individuals and entitiesworking on Irans missile programs.

He also claimed that lifting the sanctionsimposed on the Islamic Republic may give riseto "violence" in the Middle East.

The removal of Iran's arms embargo is basedon the2015 nuclear deal with Tehran andendorsed by the UN Security Council under Resolution 2231.

One of the issues used by the United States towithdraw from the nuclear deal, officially calledthe Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA), in 2018 was the time span of the UNarms embargo on Iran.

The measure covers all weapons sales and "related material" to Iran.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)successfully placed Iran's first ever military satellite- dubbed Noor-1 (Light 1)- in orbit on April 22, using a rocketwhich is also the countrys first three-stagelaunch vehicle to successfully deliver its load.

The Noor-1, although Irans fifth homegrownsatellite to successfully reach outer space,marks a new chapter in the countrys spaceprogram, relyingon technologiesdesigned and developed at home.

Following the satellite launch on Wednesday, Pompeo claimed that "Iran needs to be held accountable", claiming that it was not consistent with the resolution.

Reacting to Pompeo's remarks, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said neither the United States nor its European allies, with their flimsy misreading of the landmark nuclear deal, is allowed to "lecture" the Islamic Republic on its missile program.

"Iran neither has nukes nor missiles DESIGNED to be capable of carrying such horrific arms," the top Iranian diplomat said in a Twitter post on Friday.

Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also dismissed as baseless claims by Pompeo.

Iran has time and again made it clear that it has no plans to develop nuclear weapons or missiles capable of delivering such warheads.

The Noor-1 is Irans first multi-purpose satellite with application in the defense industry, among other areas. It is also the first Iranian satellite with an expected operational life of more than a year in Earths orbit.
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