Iran urges NATO to question U.S. for violation of international law

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran's foreign ministry spokesman says NATO chief should be concerned over the 'unilateralist and dangerous' policies of the U.S. and its non-commitment to international obligations, IRNA reports.

'The missile program of the Islamic Republic of Iran is defensive and deterrent in nature,' said Bahram Qasemi on Wednesday in reaction to the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's claim of concern over Iran's missile program and 'destabilizing' activities in the region.

'Islamic Republic of Iran - the main victim of the sinister phenomenon of terrorism - has been playing the most effective role in terminating the dominance of terrorist groups, including Daesh (ISIS), over the region contrary to the show-off and propaganda coalitions that are fabricated by certain countries and their allies.'

No doubt that many European countries should appreciate Iran's sacred fight against terrorism in the region, rather than question Tehran for its productive and effective policies in maintaining security for its own, the spokesman said.

He added that Iran has always been calling for close talks with its neighbors, rejecting any foreign security-military intervention under pretext of restoring security in the Middle East and Persian Gulf.

Dismissing NATO secretary general comments on the missile program, Qasemi said, 'The program is of a defensive, deterrent nature, as the country like all other independent countries in the world has the right of conventional military-defensive programs, and such baseless concerns will have no effect on the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran for maintaining, developing and boosting its defensive missile program.'

'After that much of experience, and the destructive war imposed on Iran by [the former Iraqi regime of] Saddam under support of the West and the East, we will not let other parties to deprive us of the most preliminary defensive arms required [for our security],' he said.

The secretary general should be, first and foremost, concerned over the disloyalty and unilateral withdrawal of NATO member from the nuclear deal and the dangerous unilateralism of the U.S., the Iranian spokesman said urging him to question the ignorance of the NATO member about international obligation.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), as the main judiciary organization of the United Nations, on Wednesday ruled that Washington had violated the Treaty of Amity (1955) with Iran by imposing sanctions on the country.

The economic sanctions were re-imposed on Iran in May after the U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the international nuclear deal with Iran.