On Tuesday, Iran fired several ballistic missiles at the start of major missile drills by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). “The sanctions helped Iran develop its missile programme”, Brigadier-General Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the IRGC, was quoted as saying by Fars. “Iran will not turn into Yemen, Iraq or Syria”, Brig-Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh told state TV on late on Wednesday.
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Also on Thursday, an informed source at Iran’s Foreign Ministry dismissed reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry had phoned Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to discuss the tests. The tests are seen as a challenge to a United Nations resolution and the nuclear deal.
Jaberi-Ansari said none of Iran’s missiles are created to carry nuclear warheads and thus, their production and test “are not in contravention of Resolution 2231 and its appendices”.
“John Kerry has sent emails to Zarif asking for a telephone call to discuss issues, including Iran’s missile tests, but it did not happen because Zarif is on an official visit”, the source told ISNA.
The missile tests come as the government of Iranian president Hassan Rouhani tries to build new economic ties with the West after sanctions were lifted in January under the nuclear deal, and a week after reformists allied with Mr Rouhani made a strong showing in national elections. “These latest missiles were reportedly created to strike our ally Israel, and stamped with the words ‘Israel should be wiped from the pages of history, ‘” he added. Such missile tests are not considered a violation of the nuclear deal because the accord is focused on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, not its weapons.
IRGC has dozens of short and medium-range ballistic missiles, marking the largest stock in the Middle East, Reuters informed.
“This demonstrates once again why we need to address Iran’s destabilizing activities across the region, while vigorously enforcing the nuclear deal”, she continued.
Biden, who is visiting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, said Wednesday, according to CNN, that if Iran breaks its part of the nuclear deal, the US will have no choice but to take action. Hajizadeh said the long-range ability of their missiles is meant “to confront the Zionist regime”. “These missile launches constitute a blatant violation of Iran’s UN Security Council obligations, and such violations must have consequences”. The US legislature also said it would push for more unilateral sanctions.
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He noted that the US passed sanctions on Iran in response to similar tests conducted in October and November.
