US official: Iran tested another ballistic missile in November

[webfact]

US official: Iran tested another ballistic missile in November
By BRADLEY KLAPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran tested a ballistic missile last month, a U.S. official said Tuesday, describing the second such test since this summer's nuclear agreement. The State Department said only that it was conducting a "serious review" of such reports.

The test occurred Nov. 21, according to the official, coming on top of an Oct. 10 test Iran confirmed at the time. The official said other undeclared tests occurred earlier than that, but declined to elaborate. The official wasn't authorized to speak on the matter and demanded anonymity.

Ballistic missiles are especially sensitive with Iran because they could provide the delivery system for a nuclear warhead. As part of nuclear negotiations with world powers, Iran in July accepted an eight-year extension of a U.N. ban on its ballistic missile program.

The November test was first reported by Fox News, which said a mid-range missile with a range of 1,200 miles was launched from a known site near the Gulf of Oman.


The test may reflect an effort by Iranian hardliners to derail the nuclear pact, coming on top of the recent arrests of an American citizen and U.S. resident, and reports that Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian was sentenced to an unspecified prison term following an espionage conviction.

According to the official, the U.S. assesses that hardliners opposing the nuclear deal struck by Iran's moderate President Hasan Rouhani may be trying to provoke the United States into authorizing new sanctions against Iran, and raising tensions between Washington and Tehran. Top Iranian officials have vowed to respond to any new forms of economic pressure from the West.

State Department spokesman John Kirby refused to confirm the test.

"We're conducting a serious review of this reported incident," Kirby told reporters. He added, "If the reports are confirmed and if there is a violation of any relevant U.N. Security Council resolution, then we're going to take the appropriations actions."

He stressed that ballistic missile activity wasn't a violation of the July deal that imposed more than a decade of restrictions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in potential relief from international sanctions. He said the U.S. would monitor Tehran for "destabilizing" behavior, and that is "why we have a robust military presence in the region and it's why we still have and will remain capable of having unilateral sanctions."

After the October test, President Barack Obama noted that Iran has often violated missile prohibitions. He said the U.S. would make clear to Iran that there are costs for bad behavior, but stressed that the issue was separate from nuclear arms control.

On Nov. 24, the U.S., Britain and France pressed Iran for a formal explanation at the United Nations.

In Washington, the administration is still studying a possible response of its own.

Officials with knowledge of the process said the Iranian individuals and organizations involved with the test are already penalized under American sanctions law, and said the government was still identifying potential targets.

Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized the Obama administration's lack of response to Iran's "repeated ballistic missile tests." Iran, he said Tuesday, "knows neither this administration nor the U.N. Security Council is likely to take any action."
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AP Intelligence Writer Ken Dilanian contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-12-09

[reggaebkk]

US officials have tested nuclear bombs on civilians, napalm, murder of activists, arming terrorists, waged a dozen major wars since WW2, created over twice as much, and thats only the stuff we know. How shocking to see Iran test a firecracker!!! Lets preemtive their ass in the name of peace... Or God... Or whatever works...

[IAMHERE]

I wonder if this made Israel nervous?

Or on the other hand, you never know, they may be targeting Saudi Arabia and end up being the good guys.

There are no 'good guys' within 1200 miles of Iran.

[Thorgal]

I wonder if this made Israel nervous?

Or on the other hand, you never know, they may be targeting Saudi Arabia and end up being the good guys.

There are no 'good guys' within 1200 miles of Iran.

Perhaps you forgot the US military bases around Iran...

[VIPinthailand]

poor USA. I pray God to bless America...

[Doc46]

To be honest,,,It's ok for USA & UN to set the rules of the world .USA have been testing & using the missiles,,In my eyes IF it's ok for the USA It's ok for any Country,,If they MISUSE the Missiles Then,,,ONLY then the USA & the UN can put pressure on them that are misusing the power and take action (Bomb the crap out of them),Give every country a fair go.

[bark]

US officials have tested nuclear bombs on civilians, napalm, murder of activists, arming terrorists, waged a dozen major wars since WW2, created over twice as much, and thats only the stuff we know. How shocking to see Iran test a firecracker!!! Lets preemtive their ass in the name of peace... Or God... Or whatever works...

I am not an American. But if they did not drop the nukes on Japan, in 1949. No country would have know the effects of these bombs. Many the first bomb would have been dropped on either Russia or America in 1962. But it would not have been just 2 bombs. It might have been 200 or 2,000 ! And they would have been falling on most of the countries around the world. Including the one where your parents lived. And I would most likey not be texting you right now !

[bark]

To be honest,,,It's ok for USA & UN to set the rules of the world .USA have been testing & using the missiles,,In my eyes IF it's ok for the USA It's ok for any Country,,If they MISUSE the Missiles Then,,,ONLY then the USA & the UN can put pressure on them that are misusing the power and take action (Bomb the crap out of them),Give every country a fair go.

If it is Iran, that missile might have a Nuke on the end of it. Give everyone a go !!!! Really ? Where are you from ? I will tell Iran it is OK, to have a go at your countries capital !

[Chicog]

To be honest,,,It's ok for USA & UN to set the rules of the world .USA have been testing & using the missiles,,In my eyes IF it's ok for the USA It's ok for any Country,,If they MISUSE the Missiles Then,,,ONLY then the USA & the UN can put pressure on them that are misusing the power and take action (Bomb the crap out of them),Give every country a fair go.

If it is Iran, that missile might have a Nuke on the end of it. Give everyone a go !!!! Really ? Where are you from ? I will tell Iran it is OK, to have a go at your countries capital !

Since I am in spitting distance, I can assure you I am not in the least bit worried about Iran. If anything, testing a missile is great, because the US will have recorded every detail and probably have hi-res video of it.

I'm more concerned about lone IS lunatics embedded in the Sunni communities.

[pitrevie]

I guess by now the arms that Reagan sold them must be out of date so they need to develop new ones as I just cannot see this left wing liberal president selling them any.

[Ulic]

And just think when the Shah was in power the US was trying hard to sell Iran on need

to build two nuclear power plants, built by the US of course.

[arjunadawn]

US officials have tested nuclear bombs on civilians, napalm, murder of activists, arming terrorists, waged a dozen major wars since WW2, created over twice as much, and thats only the stuff we know. How shocking to see Iran test a firecracker!!! Lets preemtive their ass in the name of peace... Or God... Or whatever works...

A moral equivalency could be argued, but hardly here. Iran is news because it has been internationally pressured, and agreed, to binding resolutions prior to and IAW this recent sanctions lifting fantasy. Folks like me have predicted that Iran violating the resolutions or agreements would come about quickly rather than slowly because there never was an honest effort to enter a binding agreement. Iran sees itself at a state of war and IAW islamic treaty provisions enters agreements only as long as necessary to consolidate their forces and gain advantage. Not bad, but you cannot have such a policy and be called a member state of the international community. Iran are liars. Iranians are determined to assert shia hegemony over sunnis and enslave jews. Irans are determined to leverage the deceit in taqqiya that islam provides and run circles around the West, as they clearly do. Iran is but another manifestation of a diseased ideology.

(Please skip the US bashing. Since history is relative to what time-frames you declare are important (WWII) why not look further back into Persian, post islamic, history and add up the countless tens of millions dead from Persian/Islamic rulers in the subcontinent. Inconvenient to do so? Its always so easy to craft a false narrative when one does so unimpeded by facts.)

[arjunadawn]

I wonder if this made Israel nervous?

Or on the other hand, you never know, they may be targeting Saudi Arabia and end up being the good guys.

There are no 'good guys' within 1200 miles of Iran.

Will Iran having access to advanced weapons of death be a bad thing, after all? Look at all the vaccines and atom splitters coming out of the shia and sunni world. Consider the revolutionary algorithms for improving agricultural yields and crop forecasts. Or, witness the vast inroads in petroleum distillation that takes place in Iran, or its neighbors. How about their zero tolerance policy on non equality of sexes or races? Clearly a leader in human rights. Lastly, look at considerable contributions to the arts and humanities over the past modern epoch. With such a record of endeavor and accomplishment the question seems oddly out of place-

"Why shouldn't Iran have the same research and development and bombs and missiles as others in the international community?"

Iran has already demonstrated both contribution and vision to enhancing our shared global community.

[Steely Dan]

The Iranian regime will be replaced in the next two years, count on it. The timing of regime change will become apparent as news such as this finally reaches the MSM. As with ISIS the Iranians can't be reasoned with.