A senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says the country’s ballistic-missile program will never stop under any circumstances and Tehran has missiles ready to be fired, according to state television.
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The United States said on Wednesday it was aware of and reviewing reports of an additional Iranian ballistic missile test and that the administration would determine an appropriate response.
The announcement of the rocket fire comes as U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden visits Israel as part of a Mideast tour.
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israel Radio the tests showed Iran’s hostility had not changed since implementing a nuclear deal with world powers in January, despite Rouhani’s overtures to the West.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest told journalists that the reported missile launches underscore the importance of the nuclear deal with Iran.
Iran says its missiles are exclusively a conventional deterrent. The pair had built up a close working relationship during negotiations for last year’s nuclear accord. Tests on Tuesday drew a threat of new sanctions from the United States. The US legislature also said it would push for more unilateral sanctions.
Iranian agencies report the missiles tested were stamped with the phrase “Israel should be wiped from the pages of history”.
Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif applauds at a public lecture “Paradigm Shift from a Zero-Sum Game to a Win-Win Situation” in Singapore, March 8, 2016.
The IRGC test-fired several ballistic missiles on Tuesday and Wednesday, state media reported.
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”.
In January, the USA imposed new sanctions on individuals and entities linked to the missile program.
Israel’s foreign ministry declined to immediately comment.
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Washington said the fresh missile tests would not violate the Iran nuclear deal itself, under which Teheran would receive relief from economic sanctions. Less than two weeks ago, his moderate and reformist allies scored key gains against conservatives and hardliners in elections.
