Iran defies US warnings, tests new ballistic missile
TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran had successfully tested a new mediumrange missile in defiance of warnings from Washington that it was ready to ditch a landmark nuclear deal over the issue, the nation’s state-run broadcaster reported yesterday.
Press TV carried footage of the launch of the Khoramshahr missile, which was first displayed at a high-profile military parade in here last Friday.
It also carried in-flight video from the nose cone.
The state television did not say when the test had been conducted, although officials had said on Friday that it would be tested “soon.”
Previous Iranian missile launches have triggered US sanctions and accusations that they violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.
President Donald Trump has threatened to bin the agreement over the issue, saying that Iran’s missile program could give it the technical knowhow for a delivery system for a nuclear warhead when a sunset clause in the deal expires in 2025.
He is due to report to Congress on Oct. 15 on whether he believes Iran is in compliance with the nuclear deal and whether it remains in US interests to stick by it.
If he decides that it is not, that could open the way for US lawmakers to re-impose sanctions, leading to the potential collapse of the agreement.
Last Wednesday, Trump said he had made his decision but was not yet ready to reveal it.
The other signatories to the deal — Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the EU — have all pushed for the deal to continue.