Anger of Britain over Iran firing of ballistic missiles understandable but time has passed

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Iran’s vice president for parliamentary affairs has reacted to Britain’s “outrage” at the firing of ballistic missiles during latest military drills, saying time has passed since the UK was “unbridled” in the region.

“The anger of Britain, which was once unbridled in the region, at the authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is understandable, but they must inevitably accept that time has passed,” Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini tweeted on Saturday.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) held massive military exercises, dubbed Great Prophet 17, in Iran’s southern coast last week.

The five-day maneuvers were part of major drills Iran holds regularly to improve its combat readiness.

On Friday, the UK Foreign Office criticized the war games and the firing of ballistic missiles in a statement, saying, “These actions are a threat to regional and international security and we call on Iran to immediately cease its activities.”

In a post on his Instagram page, Iran’s Ambassador to London Mohsen Baharvand slammed the UK’s meddlesome position.

“Some countries have objected to Iran's military maneuver, which is conventional and defensive, and some have called it contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 2231. These countries should be reminded once again that Resolution 2231 speaks of missiles designed to 'carry nuclear weapons,'" he wrote, referring to the document that endorsed the 2015 Iran deal.

"Iranian missiles are not designed for this purpose, but to defend Iranian soil and give a crushing response to aggressors," he added.

The envoy also cast doubts on Britain’s sincerity in recognizing threats to international peace.

“Resolution 2231 has many provisions that you did not implement and ignored. Your ability and honesty to identify threats to international peace and security is questionable. You imposed two major wars on the region under a pretext that you confessed to be wrong after killing thousands of civilians,” he wrote.

"If you are honest, condemn the Zionist regime only once, which threatens to use force against Iran on a daily basis contrary to the UN Charter.”




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