French officials joined the United States Thursday in condemning illegal ballistic missile tests that the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out over the weekend.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday there were “strong indications” that Iran’s ballistic missile tests violated a United Nations Security Council resolution against the regime in Tehran.
“We have seen Iran almost serially violate the international community’s concerns about their ballistic missile program,” Earnest added, in perhaps the strongest condemnation of Iran following the Iran nuclear deal that was negotiated between the P5+1 world powers and the regime in Tehran.
The U.S. intends to raise the issue at the UN, State Department spokesman Mark Toner remarked. “And then we’ll continue to do this for any and all Iranian violations of the UN Security Council resolutions.”
Iranian state-controlled media reported Sunday that the regime’s military successfully tested a long-range ballistic missile, which is likely capable of hitting Europe and Israel.
French officials have also condemned Iran’s rogue behavior. The test sends a “worrying message” and was an obvious violation of the UN sanctions, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
“The Oct. 11 launch constitutes a clear violation of” UN Security Council Resolution 1929, and it sends “a worrying message from Iran to the international community,” a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
American lawmakers have demanded that Iran be held accountable for its illegal actions.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) said Wednesday that the U.S. should respond “with immediate action, both unilaterally and at the U.N. Security Council.”
“It is clear that Tehran is testing United States resolve in the wake of the nuclear agreement,” Royce added.
U.S. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) wrote a letter to President Obama Thursday, underscoring their concerns that “the test is the latest example of Iran’s continued willingness to ignore its international obligations–a troubling indicator in light of the recently finalized nuclear agreement.”
“This test furthers Iran’s ICBM program,” and “the sole purpose of an Iranian ICBM is to enable delivery of a nuclear weapon to the United States,” the Senators warned in their letter.