Iran Breaks the Rules with Illegal Missile Launch

How long has it been since the nuclear deal with Iran was signed? Looks like they’ve already broken the rules…

Iran conducted a ballistic missile test on October 10th. The launch is a direct violation of UN resolutions. Four countries, including the United States, have asked the United Nations Security Council to investigate. 

The new missiles, produced in Iran, are long-range and can be guided all the way to the end target. 

According to American ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, the missile test Iran conducted on October 10th was a “serious violation” of the rules; specifically, a “clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1929.” After reviewing the data, she is certain that the missiles involved were “inherently capable of carrying a nuclear weapon.” 

Power described the test as “provocative” and asked the UN to select a panel of outside experts to “review this matter quickly and recommend appropriate action.” 

“It’s clear in our view that is a violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions which remain in force after the Iran deal,” said Matthew Rycroft, Britain’s ambassador. 

Although the ballistic missile test is a violation apart from the nuclear deal, Rycroft insisted that the deal implies ballistic missile tests “in clear violation of Security Council resolution have to be pursued.” (A few days after the nuclear deal was signed, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that prevents Iran from developing missiles “designed to carry nuclear warheads.”)

So what can the UN do about Iran’s blatant defiance now that sanctions have been removed? Reuters mentioned individuals who “have said it was possible for the sanctions committee to blacklist additional Iranian individuals or entities if it determined that the missile launch had breached the UN ban.” However, these individuals did admit that “Russia and China, which have opposed the sanctions on Iran’s missile program, might block any such moves.” 

According to Reuters, Iran will be “called upon” to stop working on ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. This paltry restriction won’t be enforced until the nuclear deal goes into full effect next year. And it only lasts eight years. At most. 

Meanwhile, Iran swears the missiles are not capable of carrying nuclear warheads, but insists it be allowed to expand its missile program. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated on Wednesday that – unlike the Obama Administration – the Iranian government believes missile tests and the nuclear agreement are one and the same. He threatened that his country would consider the deal void “if any of the six world powers imposed any sanctions on any level and under any pretext.” 

This ballistic missile test was a deliberate announcement to America, and to the rest of the world, that Iran is in complete control regarding the nuclear deal. Is it a coincidence that this test occurred shortly after concerns that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear deal with world powers may place limits on its missile programs? I think not.