Iran Deplores US Missile Test after INF Treaty Exit
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry voiced concerns about the US move to test a medium-range cruise missile weeks after Washington withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia.
In a statement on Saturday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi deplored and condemned the US government’s insistence on unilateralism, its pullout from international treaties, and its measures undermining international rights, norms and principles.
He also expressed concerns about the US test of a medium-range cruise missile that took place shortly after its withdrawal from the INF Treaty with Russia.
“This US measure could trigger an arms race at the global level that, in addition to escalating instability and threatening international peace and security, will inflict heavy economic costs on other countries, whose outcome would be a reduced level of economic welfare for people in the world,” Mousavi added.
The Iranian spokesman called on other countries and the international community to show an appropriate response to Washington’s destabilizing measures and its withdrawal from international treaties, which he slammed as a step backward in international relations.
His comments came after the US tested a medium-range cruise missile off the coast of California on Sunday. The US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty on 2 August after accusing Russia of violating it, a claim Moscow denies.
Russia has decried the US for “escalating military tensions”.
