Iran conducted missile tests of medium range, acting against the US President’s warning recently during UN sessions.
The Khoranshahr missile launched by Iran has a range of 1,242 miles. On state TV, the launch was shown but still the accurate time of test is unclear. On 19th September, 2017, Mr. Trump was already critical of North Korea for its nuclear weapon development and Iran’s ballistic missile programme despite the 2015 nuclear pact with Iran.
On 22nd September, 2017, President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran is paving its path to increase the military power ‘as a deterrent’.
The ballistic missile, launched today, was at first displayed during a military parade of Tehran. It has the capacity to carry multiple warheads.
Gen Amir Hatami, the Defense Minister of Iran, mapped out all the unique aspects and specifications of Khoranshahr missile, “The ability to evade the enemy’s air defence line and to be guided from the moment of launch until the target is hit turns Khoramshahr into a tactical missile.”
Furthermore, Mr. Hatami said that Iran would ‘not seek permission from any country for producing various kinds of missile.’
Defiance of Trump’s Warning
The ballistic missile test-firing is Iran’s signal of defiance as much as North Korean government does. The test-fire of missile by Iran is a borderline case for UN Security Council.
The test has been conducted before two significant events that are to occur in near future in US. The administration of US will be announcing the strategic details related to Iran at the end of this month.
On 15th October, 2017, Mr. Trump will be certifying to the Congress that whether Iran is truly compliant with nuclear deal of 2015 it made with world powers. If Mr. Trump refused the certification of Iran’s compliance, the Congress will take 60 days to review and impose the sanctions on Iran again.
On one side, the missile test is a clear message to US to stay out of its way of defending the Nation on its own. On the opposite, the world powers may compare Iran with North Korea that’s in complete defiance of Trump’s threats and warnings.
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Mr. Rouhani holds authority to approve ballistic missile tests and it appears that to strengthen its stance in the world against Trump’s administration and his impositions, Iran has chosen the path North Korea follows.
During UN General Assembly meeting, Trump did not skip out Iran from the allegations to support terrorism. He did not forget to include Iran among the list of ‘small group of rogue regimes’ who are working towards ‘death and destruction’. He called the nuclear pact of 2015 as an ‘embarrassment’ to US government.
Moreover, US recently imposed sanctions on Iran in July in relevance to its missile programmes. However, Tehran counters the allegation of violating the sanctions by insisting on the fact that missiles are not carrying any nuclear warheads.