Iran-West: How Dangerous is the Tension?

• 10.22.2015, 15:07
•  Region,  World

The United States, Britain, France and Germany asked a UN sanctions committee to investigate Iran's recent missile test. They consider it to be a serious violation of UN resolutions. Last week the United States 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. At the same time she informed that the US was preparing a report on the incident for the Security Council's Iran Sanctions Committee and will raise the matter directly with Security Council members.

At a meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday, the US and these three European countries presented a report on the missile launch and said the sanctions committee should take "appropriate action." Iran says the missile launch was not in violation of UN resolutions. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said it was not designed to carry nuclear warheads. Iran insists it has no plans to develop atomic weapons. "None of the Islamic Republic of Iran's missiles has been designed for a nuclear capability," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.

There were some proposals that the UN should initiate new sanctions against Iran. But as Al-Jazeera notes, the UN must receive the consent of all the members of the Security Council to start any investigation. Russia and China will hardly join the Western countries. And their request will probably stay on paper.

As for the possibility of new sanctions taking into consideration the relatively modest nature of the formulations it should be noted that the world powers are unlikely to want to risk the implementation of the nuclear agreement because it was achieved as a result of extremely long and difficult negotiations.

It is not excluded that the US just tries to calm Israel by speaking about the Iranian missile tests in the UN. On the other hand the West tries to restrain the development of the Iranian military potential.