Iran's Missile Test; Republicans Call for Maintaining Sanctions

Following the release of a UN committee report on the 'violation' of a resolution concerning Iran after the test of the 'Emad' missile, a group of Republican senators in the United States, along with some Democrats, have called for the maintenance of direct sanctions against Tehran. According to Reuters, dozens of Republican senators on Wednesday urged the President of the United States not to lift sanctions against Iran. At least 36 out of 54 Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell, the majority leader in this part of Congress, stated in a letter to Obama that sanctions against Tehran should not be halted. The report indicates that congressional Republicans, who are opponents of the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, are now refocusing on sanctions against Tehran following the missile test two months ago. They are also receiving support from a group of Democratic representatives. For instance, Senator Chris Coons stated on December 15 that if the UN Security Council does not take action, the U.S. should impose new sanctions against Iran unilaterally. The letter, which Reuters claims to have seen, describes the Emad missile test as a danger to U.S. military forces and Israel. The signatories of this letter argue that 'it is therefore a mistake to consider Iran's ballistic missile program separate from its nuclear program.' A group of UN observers recently stated in an assessment that the Emad missile test, which has 'nuclear warhead delivery capability,' violates UN resolution 1929 in this regard. Previously, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, stated that Tehran considers the resolutions prior to resolution 2231 as 'invalid' and does not feel obligated to implement them. Resolution 2231 was issued following the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers and in support of it. However, this resolution calls on Iran not to engage in activities related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran has always denied military objectives in its nuclear program and asserts that its missile production is not intended for carrying nuclear warheads. However, the UN committee's report has triggered a chain of reactions in the U.S., and the White House spokesperson has also indicated the possibility of reviewing new sanctions against Iran. On December 15, Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, stated that Washington would pressure Security Council members to take practical action against the recent event. In this context, Iran has 'violated' the UN resolution with the Emad test, Power stated that the Security Council should not allow Iran to violate resolutions, while Dehghan claimed that the Emad missile is completely conventional.