US Representative Calls Iran a 'Threat' and 'Sponsor of Terrorism'

The US Ambassador to the UN, who is visiting Israel, stated on Monday that the Islamic Republic's commitment to the nuclear agreement has been 'strong and steadfast' so far, but Iran remains a 'threat' and a 'firestarter' in the region. Samantha Power, a representative of the Obama administration at the UN, described the nuclear agreement between Tehran and six world powers as closing 'pathways for Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons.' According to Power, the Islamic Republic's commitment to implementing the nuclear agreement is 'strong,' and the agreement has 'increasingly' revealed Iran's nuclear program to the world. Under the Vienna nuclear agreement, which was concluded this summer, Tehran committed to continuing its nuclear activities only for peaceful and civilian purposes in exchange for the lifting and suspension of some international sanctions against it. Despite widespread support for this agreement from most countries in the world, the Israeli government continues to insist that this agreement has not neutralized the threat from Tehran. Power, who is reported to be staying in Israel until Tuesday, February 16, emphasized this point in her speech to a group of students, stating, 'But Iran remains a threat and supports terrorism.' Power, the US representative at the UN, had previously indicated that the US would exert pressure for practical actions against Tehran following reports of a 'violation' of one of the resolutions concerning Iran after the 'Emad' missile test. The US representative at the UN, which along with Britain, France, and Germany, called for investigations into the 'Emad' test, announced at that time that Washington would push for practical actions regarding the violations of resolutions. Earlier, a group of observers on Iran sanctions at the UN reported that Iran had violated one of the UN Security Council resolutions with its missile test.