The U.S. House of Representatives has approved two amendments to an appropriations bill that would ban U.S. aircraft sales to Iran, undermining a $25 billion deal in the works, the Guardian reported.
Advertisement
German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Iran for its clandestine efforts Thursday, telling the German parliament that Iran’s missile program continued “unabated” despite it being “in clear contradiction to the relevant provisions of U.N. Security Council”.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that Merkel’s claims are “unproductive” and Iran’s missile program is just for defense.
His report said it was up to the Security Council to decide if Iran violated Resolution 2231 which “calls upon” Iran to refrain for up to eight years from activity related to ballistic missiles with cones that could accommodate a nuclear warhead.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China – concluded the nuclear agreement previous year in Vienna, Austria.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s criticism of Iran’s commitment to the nuclear deal may be part of a conspiracy against the Islamic Republic, according to the country’s top nuclear official.
The letter said the missiles used in the launches were “inherently capable of delivering nuclear weapons” and also asked that the Security Council discuss “appropriate responses” to Tehran’s failure to comply with its obligations.
The deal would have been the largest between a United States business and Iran since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Iran, in return, has put some limitations on its nuclear activities.
The Islamic Republic maintains that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence. “It’s never been about how we feel about Iran”.
“The report makes no recommendations to the Security Council”, a Council diplomat told AFP.
According to the Iranian Tasnim news agency, Salehi said that the allegations made by Ki-moon and Merkel are unusual and, since being made simultaneously, indicate that a conspiracy was made against Iran.
Advertisement
“We suggest that Mr Ban and his colleagues. produce a realistic report.They should not yield to political pressures from some members of the [Security] Council”, Tasnim quoted an unnamed foreign ministry official as saying.
