Iran’s defense minister said on Wednesday the Islamic Republic had tested a new missile, but added the test did not breach Tehran’s nuclear accord with world powers or a UN Security Council resolution endorsing the pact.
Iran has test-fired several ballistic missiles since the nuclear deal in 2015, but this is the first during US President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump said in his election campaign that he would stop Iran’s missile program.
“The recent test was in line with our plans and we will not allow foreigners to interfere in our defense affairs,” Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said, according to Tasnim news agency .
“The test did not violate the nuclear deal or the (UN)resolution 2231,” he said.
Israel urged the world to take action after a US official said Monday that Iran carried out a test launch of a medium-range ballistic missile over the weekend, seemingly in violation of UN Resolution 2231, which forbids the Islamic Republic from carrying out such tests for a period of eights years.
The official said the test was carried out from a site near Semnan, east of Tehran. The official added that the last time this type of missile was test launched was in July 2016.
The United Nations Security Council was scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on the test at the request of the United States.
The US request came after Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon called for the meeting, saying of the test, “This aggression is not only directed toward Israel, it is directed toward the entire Western world.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that in light of reports of the Iranian ballistic missile test, one of the issues he will raise with US President Donald Trump during their meeting on February 15 will be the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran.
He said it is forbidden that Iranian “aggression” go without a response.
The White House said it was aware that Iran had tested a missile.
“We’re looking into that. We’re aware that Iran fired that missile. We’re looking into the exact nature of it, and I’ll try to have more for you later,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said during a press briefing.
On Tuesday, Iran said that the ballistic missile tests carried out by the country were neither part of a nuclear agreement with world powers, or the UN Security Council resolution endorsing the deal.
Neither confirming or denying US accusations that Iran had carried out a missile test on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated that Iran would never use missiles made in Iran to attack another country.
Zarif also said that such tests were not part of any United Nations resolution ratifying accord.
“The missiles aren’t part of the nuclear accords. Iran will never use missiles produced in Iran to attack any other country,” said Zarif, speaking at a joint news conference held with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. “No Iranian missiles have been produced to carry nuclear warheads.”
Jpost.com Staff contributed to this report.
-JPOST
