Iran test-fires missile near US warships

Iran continues to pursue its policy of belligerence towards the US, and consistently violates the nuclear deal.

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

The US military is accusing Iran of conducting a missile test in the Strait of Hormuz as warships involved in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group passed by.

A statement early Wednesday from Cmdr. Kyle Raines, a US Central Command spokesman, said the missile test happened Saturday. He said the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, two other coalition warships and commercial traffic were nearby.

Raines said Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) vessels offered “only 23 minutes of advance notification.”

“These actions were highly provocative, unsafe and unprofessional and call into question Iran’s commitment to the security of a waterway vital to international commerce,” Raines added.

Iranian media did not immediately report on the incident. Iranian officials could not be immediately reached.

Raines did not comment on the possibility that this test was a breach of UN resolutions prohibiting the Islamic Republic from developing its long-range weapons program.

Previous missile tests which clearly breached the resolutions are currently under investigation by the UN Security Council.

NBC News first reported news of the missile test.

In a similar development, Iran announced on Monday the IRGC’s operational units have been supplied with large numbers of Iran’s new precision-guided long-range ballistic missile, Emad.

“We don’t ask for anyone’s permission for boosting our defense and missile power; we resolutely continue our defense programs, specially in the missile field, and the Emad missile is a conspicuous example,” Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan told reporters after a previous successful Emad missile test.