Iran Dismisses UK, French Stances on Satellite Launch

In a statement on Friday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi slammed as unacceptable the French and British stances on the launch of Iran’s Noor (light) satellite, saying, “Employing the space technology with peaceful purposes is part of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s defence program and scientific development, and none of the international treaties prohibit Iran from achieving and developing such technology which has been gained through the efforts of the Iranian experts and elites.”

The spokesman strongly dismissed the one-sided interpretation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 offered by France and the UK, stressing, “Under the fatwa (religious ruling) from the Supreme Leader and according to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s reports, Iran’s nuclear program pursues exclusively peaceful purposes; thus Iran’s space program which has defence objectives has not been designed for any other purposes.”

“While the US has been violating each and every clause of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 every day and every moment by withdrawing from the JCPOA and imposing illegal sanctions against Iran, it is surprising that the European countries are not taking action against the US and refuse to condemn that country, and it reveals double standards and surrender to the US’ bullying behaviour in the international arena,” Mousavi deplored.

“France and the UK are expressing concern about regional security while they themselves have a long record in creating tensions in the region and their destabilizing policies are a major obstacle to the return of security and stability to the region,” the Iranian spokesperson added.