US Representative: The Tested Iranian Missile Can Carry a Nuclear Warhead

The US representative to the United Nations stated on Friday, October 16, that the medium-range missile recently tested by Iran has the capability to carry a nuclear warhead and is a "clear violation" of a UN resolution. Samantha Power said that after reviewing the information obtained, the United States confirms that the ballistic missile tested by Iran on October 10 "essentially has the capability to carry a nuclear warhead." According to the Associated Press, she added that this test violates a Security Council resolution that prohibits such actions. However, Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, denied this claim, stating that "none of Iran's missiles, whether ballistic or otherwise, are designed to carry a nuclear warhead, and therefore their production and testing do not violate Resolution 2231." According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, Araqchi added: "Iran's missile tests in no way violate the JCPOA." Based on Security Council Resolution 2331, passed on July 19 of this year, Iran is prohibited from any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons for eight years. This prohibition also includes the firing of any type of ballistic missile. The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated in a statement issued after the adoption of this resolution that since Iran has no intention of building and testing a nuclear warhead, this part of the resolution is automatically nullified. Nevertheless, as Samantha Power stated on Friday, the US intends to prepare a report on this matter and submit it to the committee overseeing sanctions on Iran. She stated: "The Security Council's prohibition on activities related to ballistic missiles, as well as the arms embargo, remains in effect, and we are pressuring the Security Council to respond appropriately to Iran for its refusal to fulfill its international responsibilities." In recent days, in addition to Power, several other US officials have expressed concern over Iran's missile test and deemed it a violation of the Security Council resolution. These objections prompted a reaction from Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, who dismissed the US statements regarding the Islamic Republic's missile tests as "irrelevant remarks." According to the House of Representatives News Agency, he accused the United States of "seeking adventurism" and added that "we have a clear path to protect our defense capabilities." France also described Iran's recent missile test as a gross violation of the UN Security Council resolution. Romain Nadal, the spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry, stated on Thursday, October 15, that "Iran's missile test is a clear violation of Security Council Resolution 1929 and sends a worrying message to the international community." Resolution 1929, adopted in 2010, prohibits Iran's activities regarding the production of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. On October 10, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan announced the "successful" test of a new generation ground-to-ground missile named "Emad," stating that "this missile is capable of hitting designated targets with high precision and completely destroying them." This missile is set to replace the Shahab-3 model missiles. Reuters reported, citing strategic researchers, that the range of the "Emad" missile is 1,700 kilometers and it uses liquid fuel. This missile test occurred after hardliners expressed concern over new restrictions on missile activities in Iran, and some parliament members had requested the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces to order the testing of ballistic missiles. Hassan Firouzabadi also stated that these tests would be conducted in due time.