TEHRAN — A member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has said Iran’s recent launching of a satellite into the orbit was within the framework of international conventions and treaties as well as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear agreement.

Rejecting the United States’ efforts to extend sanctions on Iran, Hossein Naghavi Hosseini said the U.S. cannot refer to the JCPOA to criticize Iran because it has withdrawn from the internationally-endorsed deal, ISNA reported.

It came a day after Pompeo called on the United Nations Security Council to extend its arms embargo on Iran, which will otherwise expire in October.

Citing the Islamic Republic’s recent satellite launch, Pompeo said in a statement on Saturday that Tehran should not be allowed to buy and sell conventional weapons.

On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully launched Iran’s first military satellite into the orbit.

The first military satellite, dubbed Noor 1 [Light 1], was launched upon Ghassed (Messenger) satellite carrier in the early hours of Wednesday from a location in the central desert of Iran, Sepah News reported.

Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the U.S. abandoned in May 2018, a UN ban on weapons sales to Tehran will end in October 2020.

MH/PA