The government of Iran continues to conduct missile tests in violation of United Nations sanctions, and appears to be disinterested in how the international community views their legitimacy.
On Wednesday, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan pledged not to comply with any sanctions or restrictions on its missile program, saying Tehran would continue testing its advanced weaponry.
“We tested Emad, which is a conventional missile (on October 11) to show the world that the Islamic Republic will only act based on its national interests and no country or power can impose its will on Iran,” Dehghan pledged, according to a transcript from state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
“Iran will not accept any restrictions on its missile program,” he commented. “Since the nuclear deal we have not stopped our (missile) tests, production and research even for a day, an hour or a second.”
A UN Security Council resolution bans Iran from conducting ballistic missile tests, but the regime in Tehran has ignored the international body on multiple occasions.
A confidential report issued by the United Nations confirmed that the Emad missile launch was in “violation by Iran of paragraph 9 of Security Council resolution 1929.” However, the report stated that the missile test was not a violation of the Iran nuclear deal agreed in July by Iran and six world powers.
“The Panel assesses that the launch of the Emad has a range of not less than 1,000 km with a payload of at least 1,000 kg and that Emad was also a launch ‘using ballistic missile technology,'” the report said. The panel’s findings show the ballistic missiles are capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, according to the payload delivery range documented in the report.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power condemned Iran’s purported violation of the Security Council Resolution. Speaking at the UN on Tuesday, she said: “This council cannot allow Iran to feel that it can violate our resolutions with impunity. Some council members (China and Russia) may not like those resolutions, but they are our resolutions.”
The Obama administration also expressed its disapproval with the Ayatollah’s regime, with White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest calling the ballistic test “a serious matter that undermines regional stability.”
Regardless of its continuing violations of UN sanctions, Iran expects sanctions against the regime to be lifted soon. Iranian figurehead President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday in a televised address that sanctions will be lifted in “the next week or two.”