France, Germany and UK reiterate claim that Iran has nuclear-capable ballistic missiles
(CNN)Ambassadors from France, Germany and the UK have again alleged that Iran
has developed nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, in a joint letter
addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General officially released by
the UN on Wednesday.
The
ambassadors listed four examples of activity indicating nuclear-capable
missiles, adding that "Iran's developments of nuclear-capable ballistic
missiles and related technologies is inconsistent" with a UN resolution
restraining the country from doing so.
The European countries -- all signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal
-- have previously written to the UN about Tehran's alleged nuclear
activity, claiming "these activities are the latest in a long series of
advances in Iranian ballistic missile technology."
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Iran is believed to possess the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East, according to US intelligence assessments, with a substantial inventory of close, short and medium range missiles that can strike targets throughout the region.
The
newly released letter cites footage of a flight test for a new Shahab-3
ballistic missile, which is estimated to have a range of approximately
600 miles (965 kilometers).
"The
Shahab-3 booster used in the test is a Missile Technology Control
Regime category-1 system and as such is technically capable of
delivering a nuclear weapon," says the report.
The
letter notes that the Shahab-3 has been equipped with a new
maneuverable re-entry vehicle that is "likely to both improve the
accuracy of missiles produced in future and enable existing missile
stocks to be upgraded, increasing their accuracy."
The
development of a viable maneuverable re-entry vehicle is a significant
technological marker which in theory allows a ballistic missile to
circumnavigate standard missile defense systems.
For
years, efforts have been made by the US and its allies to curtail the
possibility of Iran developing a nuclear armed ballistic missile.
While
the 2015 nuclear deal did not directly address Iran's ballistic missile
program, the UN Security Council resolution endorsing the pact called
on Tehran to refrain from activities related to ballistic missiles
designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
US
President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in May 2018.
But it is still supported by five other nations -- Britain, China,
France, Germany and Russia.
In July this year, Iran test-fired
a medium-range ballistic Shahab-3 missile, according to a US official
with direct knowledge of the event. According to experts, the missile
test did not technically violate any UN resolutions -- which has been a
source of frustration to critics of the Iran deal.
The
US has previously reiterated that Iran must end missile testing as one
of 12 conditions it has laid out for an end to the maximum pressure
campaign the Trump administration implemented after it left the Iran
nuclear deal.
Iranian Foreign
Minister Javad Zarif criticized the latest letter from the European
nations, describing it on Twitter as a "desperate falsehood to cover up
their miserable incompetence in fulfilling [the] bare minimum of their
own #JCPOA obligations," referring to the acronym for the 2015 nuclear
deal.
CNN has reached out to Iranian government authorities for reaction.
Iran began to partially withdraw from the nuclear agreement in May, restarting parts of its uranium enrichment program.
In November, Tehran announced that the country would begin injecting uranium gas into its 1,044 centrifuges at its Fordow plant, a move that could ultimately be used to develop a nuclear weapon.
Fresh intelligence
The accusations in the joint letter come as US intelligence agencies and the Pentagon tracked the movement in recent weeks of a number of Iranian short-range ballistic missiles into Iraq, a US official with direct knowledge of the situation said.
CNN earlier reported there is fresh intelligence of a potential Iranian threat against US forces and interests in the Middle East, according to several US defense and administration officials.
While
some of the missiles allegedly moved into Iraq may be categorized as
ballistic, the official emphasized that they are very short range,
without offering more details.
The
concern is the missiles could now be moved into areas where they could
be fired at US troops by Iranian-backed militias. Senior US military
officials, however, have said recently that they don't believe the
regime in Tehran is likely to go to war against the US.
In
a related development, the official said that in the last month these
militias have stepped up attacks against US positions with larger
rockets than had been seen before.
Iraq
has been rocked by protests in recent weeks, some targeting Iran, which
has seen its influence in its neighboring country increase
substantially in recent years amid US draw down. Tehran called on Iraqi
authorities to respond "firmly and effectively" after protesters attacked the Iranian consulate in the southern city of Najaf last month.
On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said he would resign,
and called on Iraq's government to "act in the interests of Iraq; to
preserve the blood of its people; and to avoid slipping into a cycle of
violence, chaos and devastation."
Iran has also seen high levels of unrest, with the government launching a major crackdown
-- including shutting off the entire internet for periods of time --
after protests broke out over gas prices morphed into nationwide
anti-government unrest.
This story has been updated to clarify that Iran's ballistic missile program was not part of the JCPOA.
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