The Iranian Foreign Minister arrives across the Tasman tomorrow, and with Australia’s government saying it is keen to challenge the country over its recent missile tests, Mohammad Javad Zarif could be in for a tougher reception than he got in New Zealand.
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Separately, Iran’s United Nations mission issued a statement to reporters opposing Monday’s Security Council discussion on the Iranian missile tests.
Last Wednesday’s missile test was aimed at demonstrating Iran will push ahead with its ballistic program after scaling backing its nuclear program under the deal reached past year with the U.S. and other world powers.
Resolution 2231, adopted last July as United Nations sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program were lifted, “calls upon” Iran to refrain from certain ballistic missile activity.
Zarif, speaking in Canberra following meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, strongly echoed Churkin’s language.
“If on it [the missle] was written that England, France, Japan, or any other country, must be removed from the earth, would the Security Council sit silently?” While the USA and Israel claim that Iran is banned from testing ballistic missiles, Russian Federation and Iran claim that the term “calls upon” is not legally binding.
Power said the missile tests merit a response from the Security Council, but Russia’s contention that the launches did not violate resolution 2231, all but rule out any council action. Currently, Washington is pushing for council action on Iran’s missile launch, which Power described as “provocative and destabilizing”. “So we’re not going to give up at the Security Council, no matter the quibbling that we heard today about this and that, and we also can consider, of course, our own appropriate national response”.
The prospects of securing a deal for the mandatory return of 9000 failed asylum seekers to Iran is looking slim because negotiations are still in early stages.
Iran says none of its missiles are created to carry nuclear weapons.
Zarif’s final engagement of his three day visit to New Zealand will be a speech to the Institute of International Affairs in Wellington on Monday before he leaves for Australia.
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Zarif also delivered a speech at the Foreign Relations Committee of the Australian Parliament on Tuesday and outlined the Islamic Republic’s views on Tehran-Canberra relations as well as a number of regional and global issues.
