Iran's planned space launches violate UN resolution: Pompeo

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday warned Iran's planned space rocket launches as defiance of a UN Security Council resolution, demanding Iran to cease the related activities.

A picture obtained on December 14, 2013 from Iran's ISNA news agency allegedly shows the launch of the Pajohesh (research) rocket containing a live space monkey named Fargam (Auspicious) at an undisclosed location in Iran. [File photo: AFP]

In a statement issued by the State Department, Pompeo warned that Iran's plans to launch three Space Launch Vehicles in the coming months would demonstrate Iran's defiance of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2231.

Pompeo said that the resolution calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, claiming the planned space launches would incorporate technology "virtually identical" that used in ballistic missiles.

"We advise the regime to reconsider these provocative launches and cease all activities related to ballistic missiles in order to avoid deeper economic and diplomatic isolation," Pompeo said.

On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rejected Pompeo's warning, saying Iran's space launches and missile tests were not in violation of the resolution.

The United States is in material breach of the resolution, Zarif said via the Twitter account of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Iran's launch of space vehicles -- & missile tests -- are NOT in violation of Res 2231. The US is in material breach of same & as such it is in no position to lecture anyone on it," Zarif tweeted.

UNSCR 2231 endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the 2015 deal on nuclear program of Iran.

The United States pulled out of the multilateral deal in May last year and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.