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Iran's nuclear program

Moscow has no information that Iranian missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads

Iranian media said on March 8 that Iran launched several ballistic missiles as part of the military space force drills

A military parade in Iran (archive) EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

A military parade in Iran (archive)

© EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

UNITED NATIONS, March 14. /TASS/. Russia has no information that the middle-range ballistic missiles launched by Iran are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said on Monday.

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"Russia has no information that they are designed in a way to carry nuclear weapons," he said.

He reiterated that Moscow doesn’t consider Iran’s launches as violations of resolution 2231 as it provides for no direct ban on such activities but only calls on Teheran to refrain from it. Apart from that, in his words, the resolution speaks about missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The Russian diplomat said the United Nations Security Council will refer this issue to a special committee tasked to monitor the implementation of resolution 2231 in support to the Iranian nuclear deal. "It is necessary to find out whether these missiles are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. If there is proof that these missiles can carry nuclear weapons, it will be possible to say that they (the Iranians) have disregarded this concrete call of resolution 2231," Churkin said.

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Army Day parade in Iran

"The most important thing" about today’s discussion at the United Nations Security Council, in his words, was the fact that the members of the Security Council agreed that "this issue has nothing to do with the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" on the Iranian nuclear deal. The Russian diplomat reminded that last year Moscow initiated a convention on a universal ban on middle-range ballistic missile launches but this initiative found no support.

Sepah News, an official online news site of Iran's Sepah (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), said on March 8 that Iran launched several ballistic missiles as part of the military space force drills. The US Department of State said shortly after that if these reports are verified it will draw United Nations Security Council’s attention to this launch.

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Foreign policy Iran's nuclear program issue Iran United Nations Vitaly Churkin

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