Test-firing medium-range ballistic missile doesn't violate nuclear deal - official

TEHRAN, July 26 (KUNA) -- Test-firing Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles does not violate the nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers - Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany - in Vienna, said an Iranian official Sunday.
UN Security Council Resolution 2231 is very clear as it refers to the missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads, while the Iranian missiles are not equipped with this feature, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told an Iranian Arabic-language satellite television station Al Alam.
Last week, the two sides reached the agreement that limits the Iranian nuclear activities in exchange for lifting the international sanctions.
As for putting Iran's military facilities under the international inspection, he noted that this issue has been settled, referring that there is a mutual understanding between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in this regard.
He indicated that both Iran and the world powers (P5+1) have achieved their goals through the agreement as Iran got an official recognition that it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.
The Iranian official said that the agreement is binding as it was supported by the Security Council, referring that both Iran and the United States discuss the agreement in accordance with their internal laws.
The Iranian Parliament thoroughly scrutinizes the deal and has discussed the implementation of the agreement in several sessions and will have other sessions in this regard in the future, he said.
He said that a possible blocking of Iranian deal by the US Congress would be a big mistake which would bring the international credibility of the US administration under question.
Concerning the presence of US inspectors among the IAEA team, he said that Iran rejected this, calling on the agency to assign inspectors from countries with which Iran has diplomatic relations.
"The Vienna deal (JCPOA) also stipulates that the inspectors that the agency (IAEA) will assign to conduct inspection in Iran should be from the countries with which Tehran has diplomatic ties. Hence, there will be no possibility of presence of American inspectors (in Iran) even in the future," he pointed out.
Under the agreement, Iran is committed to reducing the centrifuges at its nuclear facilities by two-thirds within ten years and allowing the international inspections to examine its military facilities. (end) mw.hm