A report has identified as many as 23 ballistic missile launches by Iran since the conclusion of the July 2015 nuclear deal.
By: United with Israel Staff
According to a report obtained by Fox News, Iran has fired some 23 missiles since signing the nuclear deal in 2015, with as many as 16 of them nuclear-capable.
While the controversial nuclear deal does not include a ban on missiles, critics say the missile program shows the Islamic Republic is preparing for the day when it can produce weapons of mass destruction.
“Out of all the ballistic missiles Iran fired in 2017, only four or five missiles can be considered nuclear-capable. In 2016, Iran fired 10 to 11 missiles that can be considered nuclear-capable,” according to a report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The report has “identified as many as 23 ballistic missile launches by Iran since the conclusion of the July 2015 nuclear deal.”
Nuclear Deal Funds Missile Program
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Danny Danon addressed the Security Council on Thursday, elaborating on the consequences of the sanctions relief that accompanied the nuclear agreement with Iran, which has enabled the Islamic Republic to further invest in its military development.
Danon said that “since the signing of the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] in 2015, Iran has only increased its military spending. In 2014, 17 percent of Iran’s government spending went to its military expenditure. This past year, in 2017, this number ballooned to 22 percent. That’s 23 billion dollars spent on missiles, arms and other weapons of war.”
Danon called on the Security Council to fully implement Resolution 2231 and ensure that the international community not “allow Iran to continue funding worldwide terror, pursue its dangerous internal arms buildup, and grow its military presence abroad.”
UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Iran nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany), explicitly prohibits the launching of tests and activity on ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian accused Iran on Monday of not respecting part of a UN resolution that calls on Tehran to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.
“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,” he stated.
Iran claims its military development is for defense purposes only. However, many of these weapons were given to the Hezbollah terror organization and used against Israel’s civilian population during the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to use its missiles against Israel.