Israel, Russia in disagreement over Iran missile test

Jerusalem, Tuesday

Israel’s prime minister has accused Iran of carrying out a missile test in “flagrant violation” of a UN security council resolution. Benjamin Netanyahu said he would raise renewing sanctions when he meets US President Donald Trump in February.

However, Russia says the ballistic missile test by Iran does not contravene the UN resolution on Tehran’s nuclear programme, after the US requested emergency UN consultations. Iran has carried out several such tests since a 2015 nuclear deal which relaxed sanctions against the country.

It is not yet clear what type of missile was launched, or if it explicitly violated the UN resolution. A 2010 resolution, which barred Iran from undertaking any work on “ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads”, was terminated after the nuclear deal with six world powers was implemented.

It was replaced by a new resolution, 2231, that “calls upon” Iran not to undertake any activity related to “ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons”. In a recorded message on his Facebook page, Netanyahu said “Iranian aggression must not go unanswered”.

Netanyahu is a fierce critic of the nuclear deal with Iran, which calls for the eradication of the Jewish state. Iran says its nuclear programme is purely for peaceful purposes, but world powers suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. The White House said it was studying the details of the incident.

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the missile had broken up before the test was completed. But US Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the foreign relations committee, said: “No longer will Iran be given a pass for its repeated ballistic missile violations.”

Trump has previously called the Iran nuclear deal “a disaster” and suggested his administration will abandon it. Brennan, who stepped down when President Trump took office, told the BBC late last year that tearing up the agreement “would be the height of folly” and “disastrous”.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold talks today on Iran’s test-firing of a medium-range missile after the United States requested the emergency meeting following a call from Israel for action. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned the United States against “creating new tensions” with Tehran over ballistic missiles tests. — AFP

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