BICOM

Although the United Nations (UN) concluded this week that Iran violated UN Security Council resolutions by testing a ballistic missile in October, Iran’s Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan has said that Tehran rejects any restrictions on its missile programme.

In October, Dehghan confirmed that the Emad (pillar) precision-guided surface to surface missile had been successfully tested. The rocket has a reported range of just over 1,000 miles and can deliver a 750kg payload to within 500 metres of a target.

Such tests are a breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1929, passed in 2010, which bans Iran from any ballistic missile development capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology. It is also a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which compels Iran to refrain from any work on ballistic missiles for eight years. It was approved the day after Iran and the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) signed July’s deal over Iran’s long-term nuclear activity.

UN experts concluded this week that the October test breached Security Council resolutions and existing sanctions conditions. However, Dehghan yesterday defiantly told the state IRNA news agency, “We tested Emad to show the world that the Islamic Republic will only act based on its national interests and no country or power can impose its will on us.” He said that Iran’s army won’t accept “any restrictions on its missile programme” and that, “Since the nuclear deal we have not stopped our [missile] tests, production and research even for a day, an hour or a second.” It was reported that Iran last month tested the Ghadr-110, which has a range of 1,200 miles, and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday that Iran is fulfilling its obligations under July’s agreement in a “transparent” and “verifiable” manner, and that “suspension of sanctions … is appropriate.”