UNITED NATIONS: France, Germany and Britain expressed concern in a letter released Tuesday that Iran鈥檚 latest ballistic missile activities are part of increasing actions to develop missiles capable of delivering a nuclear weapon.
Ambassadors from the three UN Security Council nations said in a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Iran鈥檚 latest development and launching of ballistic missiles is having a destabilizing effect in the Middle East and increasing existing tensions. The Western allies also said Iran鈥檚 activities are 鈥渋nconsistent鈥� with a 2015 UN resolution calling on Iran not to undertake any activity involving such missiles.
The resolution was adopted unanimously to support the 2015 deal between Iran and six major powers including the United States to rein in Tehran鈥檚 nuclear program. Last year, President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the pact but France, Germany and Britain, also signatories, still support the nuclear agreement.
In their letter, the three European allies pointed to the Feb. 6 launch of a Dousti satellite, saying its Safir space launch vehicle is capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
They also cited Iran鈥檚 unveiling of a Dezful surface-to-surface ballistic missile on Feb. 7 saying it is 鈥渉ighly likely鈥� to meet the criteria to deliver a nuclear weapon, and Tehran鈥檚 public display on Feb. 4 of a variation of the Khorramshahr ballistic missile, calling it 鈥減otentially鈥� a nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile.
France鈥檚 UN Ambassador Francois Delattre, Germany鈥檚 UN Ambassador Christoph Heusgen and Britain鈥檚 UN Ambassador Karen Pierce asked Guterres to report 鈥渇ully and thoroughly on Iranian ballistic missile activity inconsistent鈥� with the 2015 resolution in his next report to the Security Council.
The ambassadors鈥� latest letter is a follow-up to previous letters in November, December and February on Iranian missile activity 鈥渋nconsistent鈥� with the resolution.
In early March, the United States urged the Security Council to impose new sanctions on Iran, saying its recent missile-related launches could be capable of delivering nuclear weapons and risk a regional arms race.
Acting US ambassador Jonathan Cohen condemned 鈥淚ran鈥檚 destabilizing activities鈥� in a letter to Guterres and called on Tehran 鈥渢o cease immediately all activities related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.鈥�
The Trump administration re-imposed US sanctions on Iran in November, including those targeting its vital oil sector, after it pulled the United States out of the nuclear deal.
On March 22, the US hit Iran with additional sanctions, targeting 31 Iranian scientists, technicians and companies which had been at the forefront of the country鈥檚 former nuclear weapons program.
The European ambassadors鈥� letter made no mention of sanctions.
Under the nuclear agreement, many UN sanctions on Iran were lifted.