Iran tests new ballistic missile: state media
Iran has "successfully" tested a new ballistic missile that
can carry multiple warheads and can travel up to 2,000km, according to
state media.
The news of the test comes just hours after Iran's Revolutionary Guard unveiled the missile during a military parade in Tehran.
The move was a direct challenge to US President Donald
Trump, who in August signed a bill imposing mandatory penalties on those
involved in Iran's ballistic missile programme and anyone who does
business with those involved in the programme.
Though Iran has long boasted of having missiles in the same
range in its arsenal, it was the first time that the Khoramshahr missile
was displayed in public.
Trump has vowed repeatedly to take a tougher line towards
Iran, threatening at various time to renegotiate or dismantle the 2015
nuclear deal, and shoot Iranian boats out of the water if they provoke
US naval vessels.
'Boost military capabilities'
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed Friday's parade
in Tehran, saying that Iran would not halt its missile programme and
would continue to boost military capabilities, despite US warnings and
demands.
Rouhani has said that the Trump administration is seeking
"an excuse" to pull out of the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement that
capped Iran's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of
international sanctions on Iran.
The deal between Iran and world powers does not strictly
prohibit Iran from developing missiles, but after the agreement came
into effect last year, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution
calling on Iran not to take any actions related to ballistic missiles
"designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons" for eight years.
Tehran has argued that the tests are solely for defensive
purposes and notes the Security Council measure only applies to missiles
specifically designed to carry nuclear warheads.
In February, Iran test-fired the same medium-range type of missile, prompting Trump to say that the United States is "putting Iran on notice".
The report of the test, shown late on Friday on state television, did not mention the time or location of the test.
Source: Al Jazeera news
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