Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that the United States “will never stand” for ballistic missile tests recently conducted by Iran, hitting out at the UN for failing to curb the Islamic republic which he said was openly defying a Security Council resolution tied to the nuclear deal.
Iran is conducting 40 to 50 such tests each year, actions that are destabilising the Middle East, he said in New York, accusing Tehran of exporting those systems to Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Mr Pompeo's comments follow Iran's test on December 1 of a missile he said was capable of “carrying multiple warheads”, breaching UN resolution 2231 which requires Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons."
That resolution was agreed at the same time as the nuclear deal, putting restrictions on Tehran until 2024, but the diplomatic wording did not explicitly forbid missile activity, effectively opening a loophole for Tehran's test firing to continue.
“Iran has exploited the goodwill of nations and defied multiple Security Council resolutions in its quest for a robust missile force,” Mr Pompeo told the Security Council, blaming the nuclear deal for emboldening the Iranian regime.
“The United States will never stand for this. The level of accountability in Iran has diminished, while the risk has increased. The JCPOA has, without a doubt, to date, shielded the Islamic Republic of Iran from the accountability to the risks it presents to the world.”
The sixth report of the UN Secretary-General in to the 2015 nuclear agreement - known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – said on Tuesday that Iran was keeping its side of the accord, which was struck during the US administration of president Barack Obama.
Wednesday's Security Council meeting also underscored a chasm that has opened up between the US and other parties – Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany – to the nuclear deal over the reimposition of American sanctions in recent months. The other signatories made collective and individual statements that the agreement must continue, despite the US withdrawal.
The UN report also outlined objections to the US decision, saying the accord “is fundamental to regional and international peace and security”, and suggested that Iran’s missile tests should be addressed separately by UN members.
Beyond that finding, Mr Pompeo thanked Britain, France, the UAE and Saudi Arabia for raising their concerns about Iran's missile tests at the Security Council, calling for sterner action.
“When we, collectively, call upon Iran to cease its ballistic missile activity we must agree to stop it now, but Iran is as defiant of the world's insistence as ever. Because here we are, meeting for the 12th year in a row about Iran's ballistic missiles,” the US secretary of state added.
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Read more:
Mike Pompeo to attend UN Security Council meeting on Iran
Britain accuses Iran of flouting UN resolution with new missile test
UN says more suspected Iranian missiles found in Yemen
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Jawan
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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SPECS
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BIRD%20BOX%20BARCELONA
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
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Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor