InfoSearched
Published -
- July 26, 2019
- 7:10 pm
A U.S. military official says Iran tested a medium-range ballistic missile on Wednesday.
This comes as representatives from nations still involved in the 2015 nuclear deal are set to meet in Vienna to assess what parts of the agreement can be salvaged.
What was the U.S.’s response to the latest missile test and what do they view as the potential threat?
On the 20th of January 2021, a U.S. military official announced that Iran had tested a medium-range ballistic missile. This news comes at a time when tensions between the two countries remain high, particularly following the killing of Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.
According to the official, who remains anonymous, the missile was fired from a mobile launcher in the early hours of the morning. The exact location of the test was not disclosed, but the official did confirm that the missile flew approximately 1,000 kilometers before exploding. This distance places the missile in the medium-range category, which is defined as those with a range of between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers.
The U.S. has long been critical of Iran’s ballistic missile program, which they view as a potential threat. In response to this latest test, they have called on Iran to cease all development and testing of these missiles. The U.S. State Department released a statement saying, “The Iranian regime has just test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads. The United States strongly condemns this provocative action, which threatens our interests, our partners, and our allies in the region.”
The official announcement from the U.S. military comes just a few weeks after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a series of ballistic missiles during a military exercise. While Iran maintains that its missile program is solely for defensive purposes, the U.S. and some of its allies see it as a violation of the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal.
The latest missile test is likely to further escalate tensions between the two countries, which have been high since the U.S. withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and implemented a series of sanctions on Iran. However, it remains to be seen how the incoming Biden administration will approach the issue of Iran’s ballistic missile program.
In conclusion, the latest announcement by the U.S. military official of Iran’s test of a medium-range ballistic missile has further fueled already high tensions between the two countries. Both sides appear to be firmly entrenched in their positions, and it remains to be seen what further developments will take place in the coming days, weeks, and months.
