Iran says UN can’t ban ballistic missiles under nuke deal
Iran says UN can’t ban ballistic missiles under nuke deal. After Security Council endorses pact, Tehran claims prohibition on missile development not relevant to world body, adds atomic watchdog won’t want to inspect military sites. Iran said its ballistic missile program was not connected to the UN Security Council resolution adopted Monday, which endorses its July 14 nuclear accord with world powers. A statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry also said that it was “certain” the International Atomic Energy Agency will not request to inspect its military sites. Under the terms of the nuclear deal, Iran is barred from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Iran says it has built ballistic missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), capable of striking its arch-foe Israel. But the Foreign Ministry said the UN’s resolution endorsing the deal did not have jurisdiction over its missile development. “Iran’s military capacities, especially ballistic missiles, are strictly defensive and, as they have not been conceived to carry nuclear weapons, they are outside the scope and competence of the Security Council resolution,” the ministry wrote in a statement. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to implementing its commitments… so long as world powers keep their side of the agreement to lift sanctions in exchange for guarantees that Tehran will not develop a nuclear program,” the statement went on. It said Iran would, in any case, never seek a nuclear bomb, “in line with the historic fatwa [religious decree] of supreme guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has banned the use of weapons of mass destruction.
