While the Security Council ended up criticizing Iran for the tests, saying it damaged the “peaceful environment” created by the nuclear deal, it said that it needed more technical information to determine whether the test violated Resolution 2231, which was passed after the nuclear deal was signed.
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The meeting was convened to discuss Iranian ballistic missile tests which violate Security Council Resolution 2231.
Australia plans to re-open a trade office in Iran, Trade Minister Steve Ciobo said after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Tuesday.
Churkin’s USA counterpart, Ambassador Samantha Power, then said Moscow appeared to be “lawyering its way to look for reasons not to act”.
Jerusalem Post columnist Schmuley Boteach wrote an article Monday asking whether President Barack Obama will hold Iran’s feet to the fire over the missile tests.
Citing that wording, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told Iranian lawmakers the provision was therefore “non-binding”.
British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft made clear London shares the view that Iran’s launches of ballistic missiles that appear capable of delivering nuclear warheads were “in blatant disregard of resolution 2231”. “The target is the United States because they don’t need a ballistic missile to hit Israel”.
“The message that the worldwide community has been sending to Daesh, and should be sending to Daesh and other extremist organizations, is that our fight against them is relentless”, Zarif said.
“This merits a council response”, Power said.
Bishop did not express an opinion on whether the test had breached Resolution 2231.
The missile tests “were part of ongoing efforts of its armed forces to strengthen its legitimate defense capabilities … against security threats”, it said in a statement.
“I challenge those who are complaining about Iran’s missile programme, taking photographs and making slide shows and all of that in front of the Security Council to make the same statement”.
“Anybody who is insane enough to attack us, we will attack back using conventional weapons”, Zarif said, adding that “we hope that these conventional weapons will never be used because we do believe that in a war, everybody loses”.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the closed-door meeting, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon urged council members to take new “punitive measures” against Tehran over the launches, which he said were a direct threat against Israel.
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Now that those tests have effectively been repeated, various policy analysts have described the January sanctions as “anemic” or ineffectual.
