Iran Test-Fires ‘Important’ Balistic Missile, Top Military Official Confirms

Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars said Tuesday that the Islamic Republic performed an “important” ballistic missile test recently after State Secretary Mike Pompeo previously noted that the test is a direct violation of the U.N. restrictions on the country’s missile program, Newsweek reported.

“Such reactions show that it has been a very important issue to them,” top military commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said Tuesday. The head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division underlined that the country tests some 50 missiles each year.

Pompeo issued a statement December 1 criticizing Iran for test-firing “a medium-range ballistic missile that is capable of carrying multiple warheads.”

“The missile has a range that allows it to strike parts of Europe and anywhere in the Middle East,” Pompeo added. “This test violates UN Security Council resolution 2231 that bans Iran from undertaking ‘any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.’”

Countries including France and the U.K. also warned the test may infringe the resolution.

“Deeply concerned by Iran’s test firing of a medium-range ballistic missile. Provocative, threatening and inconsistent with UNSCR 2231,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted.

“France is concerned about Iran’s mid-range ballistic missile test… It condemns this provocative and destabilizing action,” French foreign ministry spokesperson Agnes von der Muhll said.

“Since Iran does not have any plans to develop nuclear weapons, therefore, it does not design its missile program to carry nuclear weapons,” Iran’s FM Javad Zarif said.

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