Iran says UN Security Council Resolution 2231 does not include its ballistic missile program

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says UN Security Council Resolution 2231 does not cover the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities including its ballistic missiles. Iran will continue to enhance its defense capabilities to safeguard its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity against any potential acts of aggression as well as the threat of terrorism in the region, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Monday after the Security Council adopted the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Therefore, the statement added, Iran’s military capabilities, including development of its ballistic missiles, are solely meant for defense as they have not been designed to carry nuclear warheads, and those capabilities are outside the scope of the UN resolution and its annexes. The Islamic Republic will reconsider its obligations under the JCPOA in case sanctions against Iran remain in place or new ones are imposed, the statement said.

The removal of nuclear-related sanctions or limitations imposed by the European Union and the United States facilitates business activities with Iran without any possible punitive measure, it stated, adding, the JCPOA clarifies that the EU and the US must refrain from the re-imposition of sanctions as such a move would be tantamount to the violation of the JCPOA, and therefore either partially or fully exempts Iran from any commitment.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry statement, Tehran will pursue its peaceful nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, its development as well as related research, as stated in the JCPOA and will have close cooperation with its partners to ensure that the accord will honor all its aims and objectives. 

The joint commission envisioned under the JCPOA must be able to resolve potential disputes impartially, effectively, efficiently and quickly, the statement said. In case anti-Iran sanctions remain in place or new bans similar to the previous ones are introduced, the Islamic Republic reserves the right to reconsider its commitments regardless of the nature of the bans, it said.

The statement further stressed the need for the complete annihilation of nuclear weapons as a necessity for the world’s security and a duty anchored in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), adding that Iran is determined to actively participate in any internationally legal or diplomatic initiative meant to save the humankind from the dangers of nuclear arms and their proliferation.

Tehran declares that signatories to the NPT must not be stripped of their inalienable rights to develop and use nuclear energy for civilian purposes, the statement said, adding, Iran considers science and technology, including peaceful nuclear technology, as the common heritage of the mankind.

The Islamic Republic, given its solid ideological, strategic and international principles, also rejects weapons of mass destruction, nuclear arms in particular, as obsolete, inhumane and detrimental to the world’s peace and security, the Iranian Foreign Ministry statement read. Iran announces that under the fatwa (decree) issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, its long-established policy is to oppose acquisition, production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons, the statement pointed out.

The conclusion of nuclear talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – plus Germany in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on July 14, signifies the resolution of an unnecessary crisis by means of negotiations and mutual respect, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

The JCPOA is based on reciprocal commitments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers, and includes the termination of all the provisions of Resolutions 1696, 1737 (passed in 2006), 1747 (passed in 2007), 1803 and 1838 (passed in 2008), 1929 (passed in 2010) and 2224 (passed in 2015), and the removal of all nuclear-related sanctions that the US, EU and its members have imposed on Iran, the statement said. Iran is determined to actively help the promotion of regional peace and stability in the face of growing threats of terrorism and extremism, the foreign ministry said, adding that Iran will continue its role in the fight against the menaces, and is ready to help its neighbors as well as the international community in this regard.