(Washington Free Beacon) Adam Kredo - The U.S. is preparing for a diplomatic showdown with Russia as it prepares to release an official report accusing Iran of breaching international accords prohibiting the test-firing of ballistic missiles, according to Obama administration officials. Iran and its allies argue that the UN resolutions governing the nuclear deal only suggest that the Islamic Republic abstain from testing ballistic missiles, a claim the U.S. has publicly opposed in recent days. One U.S. official said, "Contrary to what the Russians believe, we, the U.S., strongly believe that the launches by Iran do fall under the scope of [UN Resolution] 2231. Ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering a payload of at least 500 kilograms to a range of at least 300 kilometers are inherently capable of delivering nuclear weapons." Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, "is clearly furious with Russian protection for Iran and is dragging the rest of the administration along with her in an attempt to do something that holds the Iranians accountable for their illegal missile launches," the source said.
2016-03-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive