Iran admits the recent missile test, saying it’s in no violation of the nuclear deal

Tabnak – Although the US has officially withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, it continues to accuse Iran of breaching the deal by conducting missile tests. While admitting the reports on a latest missile test, the Islamic Republic makes it clear that such tests are not prohibited by the nuclear deal.

In this vein, a senior military commander has described Iran’s latest ballistic missile test as “significant,” emphasizing that the country will continue such tests, in line with its deterrence doctrine.

“We will continue to conduct our missile tests and this latest one was particularly significant,” Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Aerospace Division, said Tuesday.

Referring to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s position on Iran’s recent test, the commander said, “Reactions as such are proof that this issue was so important to them (Americans) that it made them cry out.”

He said that Iran conducts more than 50 tests each year. “That the Americans react to certain tests is indicative of the [amount of] pressure on them.” The commander did not identify the type of the missile that was tested recently.

In a statement released on Twitter on December 1, Pompeo claimed Iran had “just test-fired a medium range ballistic missile” in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has underscored that the resolution has not prohibited Iran’s missile activities. “I can make it clear as the foreign minister that the issue of missiles has never been subject to negotiations and that in Resolution 2231 nothing has been approved or ratified about its prohibition for the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Zarif told Tasnim News Agency on Tuesday.

“Our defense doctrine is basically founded upon deterrence and is defensive, not offensive,” the top Iranian diplomat underlined, saying the Islamic Republic of Iran has proved its commitment to such a doctrine throughout its history.

It’s worth mentioning that the Resolution 2231 calls upon Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”

Iranian officials have time and again underscored that none of the country’s missiles have been designed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads, because nuclear weapons have basically no place in Iran’s defense doctrine.

Over the past years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in manufacturing military equipment and hardware despite being under sanctions and economic pressures.

Tehran asserts that its missile arsenal is strictly in the service of the country’s defensive purposes and poses no threat to other states.