As tensions rise between the US and Iran over Tehran’s ballistic missile tests — with the Trump Administration “officially putting Iran on notice” and the Treasury imposing sanctions on another 25 individuals and companies — Christian Emery of the University of Plymouth considers whether the Islamic Republic is violating a UN resolution:

Here’s the relevant section of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 of July 2015, just after the nuclear deal between Iran and the 5+1 Powers:

“Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology, until the date eight years after the JCPOA [nuclear deal] Adoption Day or until the date on which the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] submits a report confirming the Broader Conclusion, whichever is earlier.”

See Iran Daily, Feb 3: “Trump’s Advisor is Irrational”

1. Note “called upon”. The text of the previous (and superseded) UN Security Council resolution was “shall not”. This change was made because any missile can theoretically carry a nuclear missile, and nobody thought Iran could be persuaded that it was not allowed to maintain any capability to fire missiles of any kind for the next eight years.

Consider how many of Iran’s neighbours possess fearsome arsenals of missiles. Consider how many missiles Iraq fired at Iran between 1980-88.

2. This was also logical because if you are signing a deal that absolutely prevents Iran from developing nuclear weapons, then sense dictates that you are also preventing it from developing nuclear missiles. And if you can’t possibly build nuclear weapons, why would you design ballistic missiles specifically to carry them?

All this was reflected in another change of language — the new resolution refers to whether the ballistic missile is “designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons”. The 2010 resolution referred just to “ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons”.

So the new resolution was basically:

It would be nice if you didn’t test but realistically you probably will over the next eight years. There’s probably a reasonable case that you’re entitled to missiles designed for self-defence.

And the main thing is that you can’t build nuclear weapons.

Please be sensible.

You can argue that Iran is in violation of being “called upon” to do something. But that’s a bit like me failing students for turning up to class having not done the “suggested readings”.