White House: Iran missile test a likely UN violation

The 12-member Council on Wednesday gave its approval to the bill, which the parliament ratified on Tuesday.

On Sunday, Iran said it had successfully tested a new domestically produced long-range missile, claiming the weapon was the first of its kind that could be guided all the way to targets. “Then a new situation will arise for the country”.

“A good ground for the development of relations with Japan in the post-sanction era has been provided”, said Nobakht underlining, “we have considered a special position for Japan in our plans for expansion of relations with other countries”.

Iranian lawmakers attend a session on October 13, 2015, in Tehran, Iran. Also, 17 lawmakers did not participate in the vote.

Another ultraconservative MP, Mehdi Kouchakzadeh, was quoted as saying: “This is no one’s decision, it is Larijani’s decision”, a reference to the refusal of parliament speaker Ali Larijani to allow him to speak. “It is a decision by Larijani, and we oppose it!”

Iranian hardline MP Ali Asghar Zarei presented an emotional display, crying upon the bill’s passage and referring to those who voted in favor of the JCPOA as “shameful” (bee-aberou in Persian).

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that when it comes to Iran’s ballistic missile program, “unfortunately, that’s not new”.

A United Nations Security Council resolution adopted a few days after the nuclear agreement bars Iran from developing missiles “designed to carry nuclear warheads”.

The measure on the the sanctions relief for nuclear restrictions agreement now goes to the Guardian Council, a panel of senior clerics, for review and final approval.

The agreement also contains provisions for intrusive worldwide weapons inspections at Iranian nuclear and military sites. The accord came after almost two years of negotiations between Iran and world powers including the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. Hard-liners hope to stall the deal in order to weaken Rouhani’s moderate administration ahead of February’s parliamentary elections.

“Western sanctions on Iran will have been lifted by the time the pact is approved by the Diet”, a Japanese government source said. While Khamenei himself has neither supported nor rejected the deal in public, he frequently praised Iran’s negotiators during the talks.

Israel missile expert Uzi Rubin said the Emad represented a major improvement in terms of accuracy, with an advanced guidance and control system in its nose cone. “The case is over”.

“After both sides have approved the deal there will be a period of implementation, to ensure each sticks to it”, Korteweg added.