Nuclear Deal Comes into Effect, but Iran-US Disputes Continue

• 10.20.2015, 09:16
•  Region,  World

The United States and Europe began preparing to lift the trade sanctions as the historic nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers came into effect on October 18. According to France-Presse Agency, envoys of the deal signatories - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - will meet in Vienna to form a commission to oversee the implementation of the accord. Earlier the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that Iran has provided the necessary information on its nuclear program.

It seems the nuclear agreement is being implemented without serious obstacles but new disputes rise in US-Iran relations. The United States has confirmed that Iran tested a medium-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear weapon, in "clear violation" of a United Nations Security Council ban on ballistic missile tests, Reuters reports. "The United States is deeply concerned about Iran's recent ballistic missile launch," the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said in a statement.

"After reviewing the available information, we can confirm that Iran launched on Oct. 10 a medium-range ballistic missile inherently capable of delivering a nuclear weapon," she said. "This was a clear violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929." The United States is preparing a report on the incident for the Security Council's Iran Sanctions Committee and will raise the matter directly with Security Council members "in the coming days," Power said.

It shoud be noted that last week Iran announced that it had successfully tested new ballistic missiles of local production which greatly increases Iran's strategic deterrence capability. However, ballistic missile tests by Iran are banned under Security Council resolution 1929, which was adopted in 2010. Once the deal takes effect, Iran will still be "called upon" to refrain from undertaking any work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for a period of up to eight years, according to a Security Council resolution adopted in July.

Analysts are concerned that these disputes may become the reason for disruption of the nuclear deal. The corcerns have deepenec due to the news about Iran-Russia joint military exercises in the Caspian Sea. However, according to the White House these issues will have no impact on the implementation of the nuclear agreement.