According to estimates from Germany, France and the United Kingdom, Iran continues to develop nuclear-capable rockets. In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the UN ambassadors of the three European countries cite several launchers that could be equipped with nuclear warheads. For example, images distributed on the Internet showed a test of the rocket "Shabab-3", which was technically capable of carrying an atomic bomb.
These "recent advances" in the development of nuclear carrier technologies breached the provisions of a 2015 UN Security Council resolution confirming the body's international nuclear deal with Iran, the letter said.
It also mentions the medium-range missile "Borkan-3", which was used by the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in August. The "Borkan-3" is technically derived from the Iranian "Qiam-1" -Rakete that will be used by Iran in Syria. "This shows once again the connection between the Iranian missile program and the use of ballistic missiles in Yemen."
Iran rejects allegations
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Dschwas Sarif dismissed the allegations as a "desperate lie". The governments in Berlin, Paris and London wanted to distract from the fact that they did not fulfill their own obligations. They could only achieve "global credibility" if they did not bow to "American pressure," Sarif said.
The tensions between the US and Iran have worsened considerably since US President Donald Trump unilaterally canceled the international agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program a year and a half ago. One of Trump's main criticisms of the 2015 agreement is that it limits itself to the nation's nuclear activities and does not include any restrictions on the Iranian missile program.
Since their unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the US has successively massively tightened its sanctions on Iran. Iran resumed uranium enrichment in November.