TEHRAN – A political science professor believes that the terms of the nuclear deal between Iran and great powers do not limit Iran’s missile program.

Nader Entessar says according the nuclear accord, officially known as The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran should not build missiles that would be capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) does not limit Iran’s missile programs other than those that may be capable of carrying nuclear warheads,” Entessar, chair of political science at South Alabama University, tells the Tehran Times.
He said the problem lies “in the language of the JCPOA.”
Following is the text of the interview:
Q: Why do some countries try to limit Iran’s missile program?
A: Some countries view Iran's missile capability as the country's most effective deterrent force against a potential aggressor in the region. This is especially true in view of the fact that Iran's regional adversaries have amassed huge amounts of weapons and have fortified their war fighting capabilities. For example, Saudi Arabia has the third largest militarily budget in the world and has developed an insatiable appetite for purchasing the most advanced conventional weapons from the West. Even a mini-state like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has joined this fray. These states, and their foreign patrons, want to keep their military superiority, at least in air power, over Iran and see Iran's missile capability as an obstacle to their objectives.
Q: According to the JCPOA is it legal to limit Iran’s missile program?
A: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) does not limit Iran's missile program. There is a paragraph in the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, Appendix B, that asks Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Therein lies the problem in the language of the Resolution. Who determines if a missile is designed to carry nuclear warheads? What are the specific criteria used to define a nuclear-capable missile? These and other similar questions cannot be answered with any degree of certainty. Unfortunately, this ambiguity will be used by the opponents of the JCPOA to undermine it and impose new sanctions on Iran.
Q: Do you think the testing of medium-range missiles by Iran is a violation of the 1929 resolution?
A: The UN Security Council Resolution 1929 put a moratorium on Iran’s missiles, including the medium-range missiles. However, we need to remember that the Security Council Resolution of 2231, adopted in 2015, in its Article 7, section “a” states that upon receipt by the Security Council of the report by the IAEA of Iran’s implementation of its nuclear obligations, the “provision of resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008), 1929 (2010) and 2224 (2015) shall be terminated.” In other words, Resolution 1929 is no longer applicable as it has been replaced by the Resolution 2231.
Q: Do you think that the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia would have an impact on implementation of the JCPOA?
A: So far, all sides have stated that they are committed to implementing the provisions of the JCPOA. However, depending on how the current tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia evolves, there is a distinct possibility that both the regional and American opponents of the JCPOA will use the Saudi-Iran tension as a pretext to derail the JCPOA’s implementation. Saudi Arabia was among a handful of countries that had lobbied hard against the JCPOA, and Riyadh has powerful supporters in the U.S. Congress who will undoubtedly seek to derail JCPOA’s implementation by imposing further sanctions on Iran.

[highlights]

The South Alabama University professor says: Saudi Arabia was among a handful of countries that had lobbied hard against the JCPOA, and Riyadh has powerful supporters in the U.S. Congress who will undoubtedly seek to derail JCPOA’s implementation by imposing further sanctions on Iran.

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Entessar says some countries like Saudi Arabia “see Iran’s missile capability as an obstacle to their objectives”.