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US pushes for UN action over Iran missile test

October 22, 2015

The US, UK, France, and Germany have urged the UN Security Council to investigate Tehran's missile launch, claiming the test violated the UN sanctions. The missile was capable of carrying a nuclear bomb, the US says.

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UN Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen
Image: Getty Images/A. Burton

The four countries, led by the US, raised the issue at the UN Security Council on Wednesday. They also presented a report on the launch intended for the UN committee monitoring sanctions against Iran.

"We call on the (sanctions) committee, with the support of the independent UN panel of experts, to review this matter quickly and recommend appropriate action," US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said in a statement.

Tehran launched the medium-range missile earlier in October, in the first such test since the July nuclear deal.

The missile was "inherently capable of delivering a nuclear weapon," according to Powers, and presented a "serious violation" of a 2010 Security Council resolution on Iran.

At the same time, the US has insisted that the incident was "entirely separate" from the nuclear deal, and that it did not violate the accord the US, Great Britain, Germany, France, China and Russia concluded with Tehran.

According to diplomatic sources, the sanctions committee could blacklist additional Iranian individuals or entities if the members agree that Iran broke the rules. However, they would also need China and Russia to support the move.

Reaching Israel

Iran has denied the accusations that their missile was capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.

"None of the Islamic Republic of Iran's missiles has been designed for a nuclear capability," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.

Tehran has also repeatedly insisted it has no plans to develop such weapons. However, Iran claims it already has surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), which is enough to reach Israel and US military bases in the region.

dj/bw (AP, Reuters, AFP)