In a post on his Twitter account on Friday, Zarif said the US administration that has violated the UN Security Council resolution by scrapping the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and supported Saudis in the military campaign on Yemen is in no position to accuse Tehran of illegal missile activities.
“The US -which violated UNSCR 2231 in withdrawing from JCPOA- or its allies (in violation of its provision on normalizing economic relations w/Iran) are in no position to push a conceited interpretation of its missile provision while pouring weapons into hands that kill Yemenis,” the top Iranian diplomat said.
“Contrary to @SecPompeo's claim, a. UNSC 2231: ‘Iran is CALLED UPON’ not prohibited; b. ‘not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles DESIGNED to be capable of delivering NUCLEAR weapons.’ Our missiles are not ‘designed’ for nukes, which we’re not developing,” he added.
His comments came after US State Secretary Mike Pompeo accused Iran, once again, of pursuing a threatening missile program.
In an interview with The Washington Times this week, Pompeo said the US administration will stick to the strategy of applying economic pressure on Iran.
“The objectives are to change the behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran. … No terror around the world, no expeditionary terror around the world, put your missile program back inside a set of constraints that had been identified in UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and … have a permanent commitment not to develop your nuclear program,” Pompeo said.
Senior Iranian officials, including Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, have on many occasions stressed that production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons are forbidden and the Islamic Republic considers pursuing and possessing nuclear weapons as a grave sin.
Ayatollah Khamenei has also reiterated on various occasions that Iran’s defense capabilities and power, including the missile power, are not subject to negotiations.