U.S. to raise Iran's ballistic missile tests at UN

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States will raise during UN Security Council consultations next week the issue of Iran's recent ballistic missile launches and is urging countries to cooperate on undermining Tehran's missile program, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations said on Friday, March 11, according to Reuters.

"We will raise these dangerous launches directly at Council consultations, which we have called for, on Monday," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said in a statement. "These launches underscore the need to work with partners around the world to slow and degrade Iran's missile program."

Power said Iran's missile launches were "provocative and destabilizing."

"Moreover, Iranian military leaders have reportedly claimed these missiles are designed to be a direct threat to Israel," she said. "We condemn such threats against another U.N. member state and one of our closest allies."

Power added that Washington would continue to demand "full implementation of resolution 2231, which expressly prohibits third-party support to Iran's ballistic missile program, as we also consider our appropriate national response."

The closed-door consultations on Iran will take place Monday morning. The 15-nation Security Council is scheduled to hold separate consultations on Syria at 10 a.m. ET (1500 GMT).