Iran says that it has the right to develop and test missiles for purposes of self defense and has no intention to fit the missiles with nuclear warheads and attack other counties, like Israel for example.
On Thursday officials said recent ballistic missile tests did not violate any nuclear deal made with the international community. The latest missiles can reach Israel who already has an unofficial arsenal of nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
USA Today reports:
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said the missiles were conventional armaments for “legitimate defense” and not designed for carrying nuclear warheads, the state-controlled IRNA news agency reported.
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Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles, one of them with the phrase “Israel should be wiped off the Earth” written on it in Hebrew, Iranian news media reported Wednesday. Iranian officials say the phrase was added by workers on the ground and was not a decision made by higher-level officials.
General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, said Iran has the right to test missiles — and has no interest in starting a war with any nation, including Israel.
‘In the event of any military attack on us, we not only defend ourselves but also will tit-for-tat with various means such as our missiles,’ he added.
Iran said the missiles were fired at a target 870 miles away. Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the launches as a “gross violation” of the UN resolution that confirmed the nuclear agreement and restricts Iran from launching missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The missile range would reach all of Israel and parts of other Middle East nations, Tel Aviv said.
“The development of ground-to-ground missiles with nuclear warhead capability calls into question Iran’s’ intentions to comply in full with the nuclear agreement,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Vice President Biden, speaking Wednesday at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, said if Iran breaks the terms of last year’s nuclear deal it reached with world powers, “we will act.”
“A nuclear-armed Iran is an absolutely unacceptable threat to Israel, to the region and the United States,” he said.
Many international economic sanctions on Iran were lifted Jan. 16 after a landmark deal with the United States and five other world powers in July to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for an end to sanctions.
The U.S implemented the sanctions related to the missile program the following day.
Iran test-fires new precision-guided Emad missile, which can hit Israel – TomoNews US YouTube video:
