Iran's October missile test violated UN sanctions, experts say
| United Nations
Iran's聽firing of a medium-range ballistic聽missile聽in October violated U.N. sanctions banning the Islamic Republic from launches capable of delivering nuclear weapons, U.N. experts said in a new report.
The report submitted to the U.N. Security Council and seen by the Associated Press on Tuesday said the launch used ballistic聽missile聽technology banned under a June 2010 resolution.
The Oct. 10 launch was the first test of a ballistic surface-to-surface聽missile聽after聽Iran聽and six world powers reached a landmark nuclear deal on July 14. The Security Council endorsed the deal in a resolution on July 20 that also called on聽Iran聽not to undertake any activity related to ballistic聽missiles聽capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Iran聽says none of its聽missiles聽are designed to carry nuclear weapons.
The report said the聽missile聽had a range of at least 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and up to 1,300 kilometers, and a payload of at least 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) and up to 1,400 kilograms.
But the panel said a聽missile聽with a range of at least 300 kilometers and a payload of at least 500 kilograms 鈥� far smaller than the one launched on Oct. 10 鈥� is considered by expert guidelines to be capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.
The United States, France, Britain and Germany asked the Security Council on Oct. 21 to investigate and take "appropriate action" against聽Iran聽for the Oct. 10聽missile聽launch.
The Dec. 11 report by experts from the council committee monitoring sanctions against聽Iran聽supports the contention of the four countries that the firing violated U.N. sanctions.
Whether the Security Council takes any action remains to be seen. It was expected to receive a briefing from theIran聽sanctions committee later Tuesday.
Under the July nuclear deal, most sanctions on聽Iran聽will be lifted when its provisions are implemented in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But the experts' report noted that "ballistic聽missile聽launches would be covered" under the July 20 resolution.
Iran's聽Defense Minister Gen. Hossein Dehghan, said at the time of the Oct. 10 launch that the聽missile, named Emad or pillar in Farsi, was a technological achievement for聽Iran聽鈥� able to be controlled until the moment of impact and to hit targets "with high precision."
He said it "will obviously boost the strategic deterrence capability of our armed forces."
The panel said it has not yet investigated a subsequent Iranian ballistic聽missile聽launch reported by the media on Nov. 21 and therefore "cannot determine whether it was another Emad test."
Based on video footage of the Oct. 10 launch, the panel said the Emad delivery system was identified as "the Ghadr-1 medium-range single stage liquid-fueled ballistic聽missile." It said the Ghadr-1 is an advanced version of Iran's聽Shabab-3 ballistic聽missile聽system and the reentry vehicle possesses a guidance system and steerable fins.
