Iran Accused at UN of Illegal Missile and Drone Transfers, and High-Level Uranium Enrichment

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Iran faced accusations from Western Powers of developing and testing ballistic missiles, sending hundreds of drones to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, and enriching uranium to a 60 percent level unprecedented for a country without a declared nuclear weapons program. Each of these violates a UN resolution, the Associated Press reported.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), created in 2015, involved the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia), Germany, the European Union, and Iran. It aimed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. As part of the agreement, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment levels, necessary for peaceful nuclear energy, in return for the lifting of economic sanctions.

France, Germany, and Great Britain released a joint statement, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which accused Iran of exceeding the limits set by the JCPOA. According to the IAEA, Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium are now 22 times greater than what was agreed upon in the JCPOA.

“There is no credible civilian justification for the state of Iran’s nuclear program,” the joint statement said. “The current trajectory only brings Iran closer to weapons-related capabilities.”

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Iran violated the terms of the agreement in 2019 by enriching uranium to 60%, which is close to weapons-grade levels.

Negotiations aimed at establishing a roadmap to revive the JCPOA came to a halt in August 2022.

Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN’s Chief of Political Affairs, addressed the lack of diplomatic progress despite “repeated calls for all relevant parties to reengage in dialogue and efforts towards a return to the full and effective implementation of the Plan and its accompanying resolution.”

Nevertheless, she added, “The Secretary-General still considers that the JCPOA represents the best available option to ensure that the Iranian nuclear program remains exclusively peaceful.”

Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Iravani and Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia attributed the current standoff to the United States’ withdrawal from the JCPOA, Western sanctions, and what they described as an “anti-Iran” position.

In 2018, then-President Trump’s administration unilaterally withdrew the United States from the JCPOA. Former President Trump intended to negotiate a stronger deal at the time of withdrawal, but such a renegotiation did not occur.

Iranian Ambassador Iravani dismissed the allegations made against Iran’s nuclear program and said that under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Iran is permitted to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

In July 2023, Robert Wood, the U.S. Ambassador, charged that Iran and Russia had breached their commitments under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by engaging in transfers without prior authorization from the UN Security Council.  The exact charges were reiterated yesterday.

Ms. DiCarlo outlined cases involving ballistic missiles and the use of missiles and drones, partly produced by Iran and used by Russian forces in Ukraine. In her analysis of a cruise missile from a Houthi attack in Yemen last November, she found striking similarities in design and manufacturing with missiles used in earlier attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and with components seized by the US and the UK. The Secretariat determined that this missile was of Iranian origin and its transfer likely violated resolution 2231.

Russia’s ambassador, Nebenzia, rejected the purported evidence indicating that Russia was using Iranian components and drones in Ukraine.

As tensions continued to grow, European representatives and U.S. Minister Counselor John Kelley emphasized their determination to employ all available methods to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Addressing the council, Kelley highlighted the need for Iran to take steps to build international trust and reduce tensions rather than persisting with nuclear provocations that pose significant proliferation risks. He affirmed the United States’ commitment to diplomatically resolving concerns about Iran’s nuclear program; however, he lamented that Iran’s actions imply that this objective is not their priority.

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