Friday, September 09, 2011

Iran Breaches U.N. Ballistic Missile Limits: West

The United States and three other Western powers have formally charged Iran with breaching U.N. Security Council language barring the Middle Eastern nation from firing systems with ballistic missile components, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday (see GSN, Aug. 23).

(Sep. 8) - An Iranian Safir rocket, shown on a launchpad in August 2008. Iran's launch of the Rasad 1 satellite in June, reportedly using a Safir rocket, violated a U.N. Security Council measure barring the country from firing systems with ballistic missile technology, Western nations said (Vahidreza Alai/Getty Images). France, Germany and the United Kingdom joined Washington in referring the purported infraction to the Security Council panel charged with overseeing the implementation of punitive measures against the Persian Gulf state, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said (Associated Press/Washington Post, Sept. 7).

"We were among those that reported to the committee our view that the ballistic missile launches that we have seen of late is a violation of paragraph nine" of Security Council Resolution 1929, Rice said.

The paragraph prohibits Iran from undertaking "any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology" (Diane Barnes, Global Security Newswire, Sept. 8).

Iran breached the rule in June by deploying its Rasad 1 satellite, "which is dependent on ballistic missile technology," AP quoted British Ambassador to the United Nations Mark Lyall Grant as saying. A Safir rocket lifted the craft into orbit, according to a previous report (see GSN, June 16).

The Iran sanctions panel is investigating claims by four U.N. member nations that Iran had breached ballistic missile limits, said Colombian Ambassador to the United Nations Néstor Osorio, who heads the oversight group (Associated Press).

The panel has also received data elaborating on a earlier assertion Iran had violated limits on transfers of weapons and associated equipment, a U.N. press release quoted Osorio said as saying (United Nations release, Sept. 7).

Rice added: "There have been a variety of violations, but I think the good news is that they are being reported, tracked, and -- particularly with respect to the arms shipments -- very active efforts by the committee, the panel and indeed member states to address those violations" (Barnes, Global Security Newswire).

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