Russia: The Security Council is Reviewing Technical Details of Iran's Missile Test

The Russian representative to the United Nations stated that the Security Council is examining the "technical details" related to Iran's ballistic missile test. According to the U.S. and its European allies, this test could violate United Nations sanctions. Reuters reported that on Wednesday, October 29, the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany called for action from the Iran sanctions committee regarding Tehran's recent missile test, which they claim has "nuclear warhead delivery capability." On October 19, Iran announced a "successful" test of a new generation ground-to-ground missile named "Emad," stating that "this missile can strike designated targets with high precision and completely destroy them." The range of the Emad missile has been reported as 1,700 kilometers, utilizing liquid fuel. In this context, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's representative to the UN, told reporters on Thursday that such a test "would necessitate punitive steps" from the Iran sanctions committee if Moscow believes it violates UN sanctions. Churkin emphasized the need for caution, stating that in addition to examining the relevant technical details, political conditions must also be considered. Meanwhile, Reuters noted that the Chinese representative at the UN, when asked whether this missile test constitutes a sanctions violation and whether new sanctions would follow, simply stated that the Security Council is "reviewing the matter." The four countries calling for investigation and action believe that the Emad missile test contradicts Resolution 1929, passed in 2010, which prohibits Tehran from conducting tests related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. These countries, along with Russia and China, form the P5+1 group, which reached a framework for resolving Iran's nuclear issue after years of negotiations in July of this year. This agreement is tied to missile sanctions and Iran's arms prohibitions, as well as its supporting resolution, Resolution 2231, which establishes missile and arms restrictions on Iran for several years. Tehran rejects the claim that the new missile test contradicts the UN resolution, asserting that it does not intend to develop nuclear weapons. In Iran's latest response to the potential pursuit of the recent missile test at the UN, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan stated that what was agreed upon in the JCPOA pertains only to nuclear issues, and that Iran sees no need to seek permission from anyone regarding the strengthening of its defense capabilities. These statements were published on Thursday by the Mehr news agency, echoing comments made by Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who previously stated that "Iran's recent missile test does not violate Resolution 2231, and Iran will not halt its defensive and deterrent capabilities under any threat." Shamkhani noted that even if such a test were a violation of UN Resolution 1929, Iran had not accepted that resolution. Previously, Abbas Araqchi, a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, stated that any potential Iranian action to "test medium-range missiles" would not violate the Vienna nuclear agreement and would at most violate Security Council Resolution 2231. The prohibitions and restrictions related to weapons and ballistic missiles were among the most complex issues in achieving results in nuclear negotiations between Iran and the six global powers. Iran's demand, supported by Russia and China, was to end the restrictions within the framework of the nuclear agreement, but ultimately, based on the agreement document, arms prohibitions will remain for up to five years, and missile restrictions for up to eight years. However, recently, the U.S. Secretary of State stated that violations of Iran's arms or missile restrictions would not automatically trigger the return of UN sanctions under the nuclear agreement, although other options are available in this regard.