The IAEA had “no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009”.
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“On the basis of its analysis and finding, the panel concludes that Emad launch is a violation by Iran of paragraph 9 of Security Council resolution 1929”, the 11-page report said.
In July Iran and a group of six countries China, France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom and United States reached a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to resolve the nuclear issue, entrusting the IAEA with verifying and monitoring Irans commitments.
Tuesday’s resolution was Iran’s “final step” under the “roadmap for the clarification of past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program”, Amano told journalists.
The breach could possibly attract additional sanctions against the Islamic republic.
“These entities will not be let off the hook for their involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile programme”, he said. The news agency reviewed the report on Tuesday.
Critics believe that concerns in the U.S. and among its allies that Iran worked to develop components of a nuclear weapon were overridden by U.S. President Barack Obama’s insistence on implementing the nuclear deal.
But the panel said a missile with a range of at least 186 miles and a payload of at least 1,102 pounds – far smaller than the one launched on October 10 – is considered by expert guidelines to be capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction. “The U.N. experts based their findings on reports in Iranian media, comments by Iranian officials and information provided by member states”, the Wall Street Journal notes. In October, Tehran disputed the Western assessment that the missile was capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.
The United States is also looking at reports of a new ballistic missile test on November 24. The US reaction, however, is likely to take awhile.
According to the resolution, the non-diversion of Iran’s nuclear program to weapon-grade activities is, once more, confirmed and its “peaceful nature” is emphasized, he said.
While the launches may have violated U.N. Security Council sanctions, they did not violate the nuclear deal, diplomats noted. The agreement trades Iran sanctions relief for restrictions on its nuclear program.
The Security Council adjourned after about an hour of discussing the report without any resolution being introduced.
Wang also said the Security Council should prepare well in terms of related council mechanisms, procedures and responsibilities so as to ensure the council’s authority and smooth implementation of the resolution.
The U.N. atomic watchdog’s 35-country board decided on Tuesday to close its investigation into whether Iran once had a secret nuclear weapons programme, choosing to support Tehran’s deal with world powers rather than dwell on its past activities.
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The IAEA was required to receive a full report on the possible military dimensions as part of the preconditions for lifting sanctions on Iran, and the IAEA’s decision brings the deal a step closer to its implementation.
