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Iran Claims it Test-fired Ballistic Missile | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A ballistic missile is launched in an undisclosed location in Iran. Reuters


Iran has successfully tested a precision-guided medium-range ballistic missile, a military official said on Monday, as Tehran continues to bolster what it insists is a purely defensive arsenal in the latest in a spate of tests following the implementation of the nuclear deal with world powers.

The Islamic Republic says the improvement of the range and accuracy of its missiles will make them a more potent deterrent with conventional warheads against Israel.

“We tested a missile with a range of 2,000 kms (1,240 miles) and eight meters error margin two weeks ago. An eight-meter error margin means … full accuracy,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi, deputy chief of army headquarters, as saying.

He said the test was carried out two weeks ago.

The United States and some European powers have said other recent tests violate a United Nations resolution that prohibits Iran from firing any missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Iran says the missiles are not designed to carry nuclear warheads, which it does not possess.

In March, Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles — one emblazoned with the phrase “Israel must be wiped out” in Hebrew — that set off an international outcry.

Washington has imposed new sanctions on Tehran over recent tests, even after it lifted nuclear-related sanctions in January as Tehran implemented the nuclear deal it reached with world powers last year.

Iran’s top leader Ali Khamenei said in March that missile development was key to Tehran’s future in order to maintain its defensive power and resist threats from its enemies.