Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
Russia has defended Iran’s right to peaceful space technology, dismissing claims by the United States that the recent launch of the country’s first-ever military satellite into the orbit violates a United Nations Security Council resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major world powers.
According to Press TV, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, in a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council on Thursday, said that “the ongoing attempts of the United States side to deprive Iran of the right to reap the benefits of peaceful space technology under false pretexts are a cause for serious concern and profound regret.”
He dismissed as “misleading” US allegations that the April 22 satellite launch by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is a violation of Security Council Resolution 2231, which ratified the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal – officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Iran has never possessed nuclear weapons, nor does it possess these weapons now, nor, we expect, will it ever possess them in the future,” Nebenzia pointed out.
The Russian diplomat further highlighted that “Iran has been the most verified state by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)” ever since the JCPOA was adopted, and “it is an established fact that Iran does not possess, nor develop, nor test or use ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”
Nebenzia’s remarks came in response to earlier claims by US Ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, that Iran’s “space launch vehicles incorporate technologies that are virtually identical to and interchangeable with those used in ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”
