France said on Saturday it was extremely concerned by Iran’s ballistic missile test and called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to carry out a full report on the launch.
“France asks that Iran cease all [alleged] destabilizing activity in the region,” French Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said in a statement, Reuters reported.
“[France] will consider with its partners, notably European, the means to obtain from Iran the cessation of its destabilizing ballistic activities.”
Surprisingly, France has never made the same request to scrutinize the western missiles used by Saudi Arabia to kill thousands of civilians in Yemen.
Tehran says its missiles are only a conventional deterrent in the face of unrelenting threats by hostile states, particularly the US, making it clear that it is entitled to bolster defense capabilities, including its missile arsenal, to smash the evil designs of any potential aggressor.
Most UN sanctions on Iran were lifted 18 months ago under a deal Iran made with key world powers to curb its nuclear program. But Iran is still subject to an arms embargo and other restrictions, which are not technically part of the nuclear agreement.
Guterres reports every six months to the UN Security Council on the implementation of the remaining sanctions and restrictions.
Iran said on Saturday it had successfully tested a new ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 km and would keep developing its arsenal, despite western pressures to stop.
Britain also voiced concerns about the latest test.
“Extremely concerned by reports of Iran missile test, which is inconsistent with UN Resolution 2231 [which endorses the 2015 nuclear accord]. Call on Iran to halt provocative acts,” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson alleged in a Twitter message.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump criticized the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran and other world powers on Saturday, tweeting that the US does not have “much of an agreement” after Tehran test-fired the ballistic missile, Politico reported.
He also contended that “they are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!”
Trump last week urged the international community not to let the Iranian government to continue allegedly destabilizing activities as it builds “dangerous missiles”.
“And we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program,” he said in his Tuesday address before the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump signaled that he may renegotiate the nuclear pact or decertify it. None of the other signatories supports his stance.
In fact, that agreement did not cover ballistic missiles of the kind Iran fired on Saturday.
He also forcefully railed against North Korea at the UN General Assembly. Trump labeled Kim “Rocket Man” and charged that he was on a “suicide mission” by continuing to provoke the US by building up its nuclear arsenal. Kim responded in kind, calling Trump a “mentally deranged US dotard”.
A dotard is an old person, someone who has become weak or senile. Many concede that this accurately sums up Trump who is 71 years old and has failed to offer a single proof for all the adverse claims he keeps on tweeting against the nuclear deal.
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