Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been testing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles for months, which runs against UN Resolution 2231, Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the US and the UN, has claimed. The IRGC has not commented on the matter yet.
Resolution 2231 endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement that stipulates that Tehran scrap its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
On Friday, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Erdan had mentioned that the IRGC was test-firing nuclear missiles in a letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Erdan reportedly urged the UNSC to retaliate against what he described as threats to world peace and security. He also argued that during the tests, the IRGC launched nuclear ballistic missiles of various ranges, including those codenamed the Great Prophet 15, the Sejjil and Qader.
Iran Vows to Keep on ‘Moving Towards Great Objectives’ in Missile Production
The claims came a few weeks after Iranian Defence Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami highlighted the Islamic Republic’s resolve to develop its defence sector, including a missile in the face of external threats.
Hatami pointed out that when it comes to missiles, Iran “will continue moving towards great objectives with all” its power.
The statement followed a release from the IRGC’s Navy of a video showing its newest "missile city", a compound equipped with numerous systems for launching cruise and ballistic missiles with different ranges.
This was preceded by the Iranian military successfully testing a new domestically made missile with a range of 300km (186 miles) that is capable of hitting targets with pinpoint accuracy in all weathers.
Israel Getting Ready to ‘Take Action’ to Stop Iran From Going Nuclear
In February, Israel's Defence Minister Benny Gantz said that the Jewish state’s military is getting ready for “any scenario, including one where we would need to take operational action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons”.
He was echoed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who pledged that with or without the JCPOA, Tel Aviv “will do everything so [Iran isn’t] armed with nuclear weapons”. Earlier, Netanyahu warned that a US return to the JCPOA would pave Iran’s path to a nuclear arsenal. Israel has repeatedly accused Iran of trying to obtain a nuclear weapon without providing any proof.
The JCPOA has been on the verge since May 2018, when then-US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s unilateral exit from the deal and reinstated economic sanctions against Iran, which in turn started to scale down its JCPOA obligations in May 2019.