FM Zarif says neither US nor Europe can lecture Tehran on its missile program

“US has been bullying all against UNSC Resolution 2231 since 2017. Europe obeyed US instead of 2231,” Zarif said in a posting on Twitter on Friday.

He added that neither the United States nor Europe can lecture Iran based on flimsy misreadings of Resolution 2231.

"Iran neither has nukes nor missiles 'DESIGNED to be capable of carrying' such horrific arms," the top Iranian diplomat stated.

He attached a number of images and screenshot photos of documents and newspapers about the significance of nuclear weapons and the budget allocated to the construction of nuclear warheads by the US and some European countries and questioned who is in fact proliferating nukes and violating international resolutions.

Zarif's tweet came in response to allegations leveled by Mark Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, claiming on Wednesday that "Iran needs to be held accountable for" the launch of a military satellite, adding that the action was not consistent with the Security Council Resolution 2231.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully placed the Islamic Republic’s first ever military satellite, dubbed Noor-1 (Light 1), in its designated orbit on April 22, using a rocket which is also the country’s first three-stage launch vehicle to successfully deliver its load.

The IRGC fired the Noor-1 aboard Qased (Carrier) satellite carrier during an operation that was staged in Dasht-e Kavir, Iran’s sprawling central desert, which was placed into the orbit 425 kilometers above Earth’s surface.

The Noor-1, although Iran’s fifth homegrown satellite to successfully reach outer space, marks a new chapter in the country’s space program, which relies heavily on technologies that are designed and developed at home.

Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed as “baseless” claims by Pompeo that the launch violates the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the UN Resolution 2231.

"This would not be the first time that a nation that has flagrantly breached the norms of international law and violated UNSC resolution 2231 is trying to deflect international condemnation by baselessly accusing Iran of noncompliance with the requirements of the Security Council," Zakharova said.

Meanwhile, Britain's Foreign Office in a statement on Friday expressed concern about Iran's launching of the satellite and called on the Islamic Republic to uphold a UN ban.

"Reports that Iran has carried out a satellite launch using ballistic missile technology are of significant concern and inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2231," it said.

France's Foreign Ministry also in a statement on Thursday claimed that Iran's missile launch violated Resolution 2231.

The Resolution 2231 calls on Iran to avoid “any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.”

Iran has time and again made it clear that it has no plans to develop nuclear weapons or missiles capable of delivering such warheads, the main initiative behind the nuclear deal it clinched with the P5+1 group of countries, the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany.

Also on Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi rejected as "unacceptable" the stance adopted by Britain and France on the country's successful launch of the satellite, saying such a position emanate from their double standards and their adherence to the US bullying on the international scene.

"The use of space technology for peaceful purposes is part of the defense program and also the scientific development of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.

"No international treaty prohibits Iran from acquiring and developing this technology, which has been achieved thanks to the efforts of the Iranian experts and elites," he added.

According to a fatwa (religious decree) issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes "and therefore, Iran’s space program, which has defense objectives has not been designed for purposes other than this."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry official said the United States has been violating UN Resolution 2231 "every day and every moment" since it withdrew from the JCPOA and reinstated its illegal sanctions on Iran.

However, he added, it is astonishing that European countries refrain from condemning Washington.

"France and Britain express their concern about regional security while they had a long history of tension-making presence in the region and their destabilizing policies are an important obstacle to the restoration of security and stability to the region," Mousavi said.