Iranian Official: Ban Ki-moon Should Avoid Interpretations Contradicting the JCPOA

Two days after it was reported that Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated in his semi-annual report to the Security Council that Iran's missile tests are not in line with the spirit of the JCPOA, an official from the Iranian Foreign Ministry reacted to this news. The official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday, July 9, that this official requested Ban Ki-moon 'not to address issues in his semi-annual report to the Security Council that contradict the text of the JCPOA, considering he was not present in the nuclear negotiations.' Reuters reported on Thursday that the UN Secretary-General asked Iran to refrain from its ballistic missile tests as such tests are not compatible with the 'constructive spirit' of the nuclear agreement and 'have the potential to increase tensions in the region.' The unnamed official from the Iranian Foreign Ministry further reacted to Ban Ki-moon's statements, urging the Secretary-General and his colleagues 'not to engage in interpretations that contradict the text of the JCPOA and merely reflect the internal political pressures of one or several permanent members of the Security Council.' The Iranian official concluded by asking the Secretary-General to 'provide a fair and realistic report regarding the U.S. shortcomings in fulfilling its JCPOA commitments, which is corroborated by all countries that have resumed their economic cooperation with Iran.' Iranian officials have protested what they call 'U.S. shortcomings in fulfilling its JCPOA commitments' and have previously accused the U.S. of preventing any fundamental change in Iran's economic and financial conditions with global markets. Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, warned on July 1 that if the U.S. and Western countries present the nuclear agreement with Tehran 'in a different and preferred manner,' the agreement will fall apart. Western powers have also criticized Iran's missile tests, with the U.S., France, Britain, and Germany stating in a joint letter to the Security Council in April that these tests involved missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads and represented 'disregard' for Security Council Resolution 2231. These countries also asked Ban Ki-moon to declare that Iran's missile tests are inconsistent with Resolution 2231. The Islamic Republic of Iran asserts that its missile tests do not violate Security Council Resolution 2231 or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In this context, Germany's domestic security agency reported on the 'expansion' of Iran's nuclear activities following the JCPOA.