Iran has conducted a new test of a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, Fox News reported Monday, just as international officials met to discuss the lifting of sanctions under the nuclear agreement reached in July.
The test of the Ghadr-110 missile, with an estimated range of about 1,200 miles, was conducted Nov. 21, Fox News said, quoting western intelligence officials. It’s likely to further inflame U.S. lawmakers’ concerns about Iran, coming on the heels of a previous test Oct. 10 which was condemned by the international community as a violation of U.N. bans on such activities.
The Obama administration took no action after Iranian officials announced the Oct. 10 test of a missile with a range sufficient to reach Israel, and a maneuverable warhead that could defeat anti-missile defenses. That angered Republicans and some Democrats, who cite that as one of many reasons why sanctions against Iran should not be lifted as the deal requires.
Lawmakers are working on a variety of measures that would limit or bar President Obama from doing so, and supporters are hopeful that Iran’s recent behavior may sway enough votes in their direction.
The nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers extends for eight years U.N.-imposed restrictions on Tehran’s development of ballistic missiles, but Iran has publicly rejected any limits.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said after a meeting in Vienna with representatives of the six world powers involved in the deal that an agreement had been reached to clear the way for the lifting of sanctions, by closing the issue of Iran’s previous work on nuclear weapons.
“I think there is very good agreement now on the issue and the resolution should lead to closure of the [previous military dimensions] case,” he told reporters.
In a statement, the State Department said only that “participants received an update from Iran on its plans to meet its nuclear commitments.” Iran must also implement agreed-upon limits on its nuclear program in order to obtain relief from international sanctions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, in a report last week, said Iran had experimented with trying to build a nuclear weapon through 2009, later than had been previously thought.
Acceptance of the report by the agency’s board is one of the triggers for sanctions relief, and U.S. lawmakers were not happy that it indicated Tehran had been deceiving international inspectors about the intentions of its nuclear program, seeing that as a bad omen for verification of Iran’s commitments under the nuclear deal.
