France accuses Iran of not respecting UN text on ballistic missiles

Speaking on arrival at a European foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Jean-Yves Le Drian also said the 28 ministers would reiterate their concerns over Iran’s activities in Yemen, Lebanon and Syria, which he described as destabilizing, reported Reuters.

“We will also have the opportunity of underlining our firmness on Iran’s compliance with United Nations Resolution 2231, which limits access to ballistic capacity and which Iran does not respect,” Le Drian said.

Under the UN resolution enshrining the 2015 nuclear deal with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, Iran is “called upon” to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to 8 years.

Some states say this phrasing does not make it an obligatory commitment.

Iran has repeatedly said its missile program is purely defensive and denied they are designed to carry nuclear warheads.

Le Drian on Sunday said he would travel to Iran in March and that France had begun talks with Tehran to discuss its missile program and regional activities.

But Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman on Monday dismissed the suggestion of talks on either issue.

“If there is such a quote (from the French foreign minister) that we held talks, we deny it. We have not had any negotiations about our missile and defense capabilities and will not talk about these issues with others,” Bahram Qasemi said.

”The French foreign minister is not familiar with Iranian society yet,“ Qasemi said. ”Iran has proved that it would not change course under pressure.

“We should surely discuss Iran’s influence in the region because it has been a positive one and everyone has benefited from it. Without Iran’s influence, terrorists (would have) captured Damascus and Baghdad,” he said.