Iran insisted on Monday that the test firing of a new long-range ballistic missile over the weekend was not a violation of the recent nuclear deal with world powers.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, one of Iran’s top negotiators on the deal reached July 14 in Vienna, told reporters that “Iran has always declared explicitly that it will not compromise its national security and defense capabilities,” according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan announced Sunday the successful test of a new generation of Iranian-made long-range missile, dubbed “Emad” (Pillar).
The nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers including the United States extends for eight years U.N.-imposed restrictions on Tehran’s development of ballistic missiles, but Iran has publicly rejected any limits.
The expiration of the U.N. sanctions on ballistic missiles, which was a last-minute concession by Western negotiators, was one of the major arguments critics made against the deal. The Pentagon opposed the move, with Defense Secretary Ash Carter noting at a congressional hearing that it would allow Iran to develop missiles that could hit the United States.
