UN urges Iran to address nuclear, ballistic missile concerns

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging Iran to dress concerns raised about its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and return to “full implementation” of its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.

U.N. chief expressed regret in a report to Security Council obtained Tuesday by Associated Press that Trump ministration withdrew from agreement in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions against Tehran, and at Iran’s 2019 decision to violate limits in deal including on centrifuges and enriching uranium.

Guterres said in report on implementation of a council resolution endorsing 2015 nuclear agreement that for last five years nuclear deal “has been largely viewed by international community as a testament to efficacy of multilateralism, diplomacy and dialogue, and a success in nuclear nproliferation.”

But President Donald Trump has wd war on nuclear agreement, deuncing it during 2016 campaign as worst deal ever negotiated, and he has kept up opposition in years since U.S. pullout in 2018.

Trump ministration maintains agreement — Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA — is fatally flawed because certain restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activity grually expire and will allow country to eventually develop atomic weapons. In August, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally tified U.N. that it was invoking a provision of 2015 deal to restore U.N. sanctions, citing significant Iranian violations and declaring: “ United States will never allow world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism to freely buy and sell planes, tanks, missiles and or kinds of conventional weapons ... (or) to have a nuclear weapon.”

But remaining parties to JCPOA -- Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -- as well as overwhelming majority of Security Council called U.S. action illegal because U.S. h withdrawn from treaty. council and secretary-general both said re would be action on U.S. demands -- which meant re would be U.N. demand for countries to re-impose U.N. sanctions on Iran.

neless, concerns by U.S. as well as European parties to JCPOA have increased, especially with Iran continuing to violate deal’s limits. Iran has openly anunced all its violations of nuclear deal in vance and said y are reversible.

deal promised Iran ecomic incentives in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Since U.S. withdrawal and its imposition of new sanctions, Tehran has tried to put pressure on remaining parties using violations to come up with new ways to offset ecomy-crippling actions by Washington.

Secretary-General Guterres recounted U.S. actions and Security Council response in report and stressed again “ importance of initiatives in support of tre and ecomic relations with Islamic Republic of Iran, especially during current ecomic and health challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic.”

As for implementation of 2015 Security Council resolution endorsing JCPOA, secretary-general said he focused on restrictions on nuclear, ballistic missile, and arms-related transfers to or from Iran.

He said Israel provided information about presence of four alleged Iranian Dehlavieh anti-tank guided missiles in Libya in June. On basis of photographic evidence, he said, one missile “h characteristics consistent with Iranian-produced Dehlavieh” but U.N. Secretariat has been unable to determine if it h been transferred to Libya in violation of resolution.

On Australia’s June 2019 arms seizure, Guterres said analysis of high-definition ims of some material determined that “ 7.62 mm ammunition in this seizure were t of Iranian manufacture.”

secretary-general said U.N. received information that an unnamed “entity” on sanctions blacklist took actions “inconsistent” with its frozen assets and actions to ship “valves, electronics, and measuring equipment suitable for use in ground testing of liquid propellant ballistic missiles and launch vehicles” to Iran. He said U.N. Secretariat is seeking furr information.

Security Council is scheduled to discuss report on Dec. 22.

Im credits: AP