France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of not respecting part of the U.N. resolution that calls on Tehran to refrain from work on ballistic missiles with the capacity of carrying a nuclear warhead. The French top diplomat, who spoke to reporters on the matter of Iran’s ongoing violations, stressed that the European Union would formulate a joint statement, in which it will reiterate its concerns over Iran’s “destabilizing activities” across the Middle East, including in Yemen, Lebanon and Syria. Minister Le Drian said, “We will also have the opportunity to underline our firmness on Iran’s compliance with United Nations Resolution 2231, which limits access to ballistic capacity and which Iran does not respect. We will also have the opportunity to repeat our concerns, our questions regarding the temptation of destabilization, that Iran is currently initiating in the region, whether it be in Yemen, Lebanon or Syria. So, this will be an important point in this morning’s discussions,” the French top diplomat told reporters ahead of a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Ministers in Brussels.
Under the U.N. resolution that provided international legal legitimacy to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, mostly known as the nuclear agreement, Iran is “called upon” to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to 8 years. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly stressed, however, that its ballistic missile program is purely defensive and denies Western allegations of seeking a ballistic capacity to carry nuclear warheads.