Iran hosted a military parade in its capital Tehran to mark the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war. During this parade, the country revealed to its citizens the new medium-range ballistic missile they have created. The missile was named after Khorramshahr, a southeastern city that was, according to NPR, affected by the war. The Khorramshahr missile has a range of 1200-1250 miles. It is also capable of carrying multiple warheads or a cluster of bombs. The missile was tested a day after the parade and was broadcasted on the IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) for the public to watch.
The main issue the US has with the nuclear tests is they want to ensure that Iran is complying with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This is an agreement China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the European Union (EU) and Iran made in July 2015 that would allow Iran to keep producing nuclear weapons as long as they ensure it is completely peaceful.The president and the US Government will have to decide whether or not that Iran is following the guidelines of the JCPOA. In a previous deal, the US and Iran proposed a deal in which the US would provide economic relief sanctions in exchange for Iran to restrict their nuclear program. If Iran doesn’t comply with the agreement, Congress has 60 days to decide whether or not to decide to give economic sanctions anymore.
“When it comes to defending our country, we will ask nobody for their permission,” President Hassan Rouhani said in an NPR report. To back up the president, the defense minister, Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami later told the New York Times, “On the path to improve our country’s defensive capacity we will certainly not be the least affected by any threats and we won’t ask anyone’s permission.” This relates back to the issue of Iran not feeling the need to “ask” whether or not they can test a missile. In reports on the IRIB, many Iranian officials hint at the fact that all of their missiles are for protection versus use for warfare.
The missile launch is so important to the United States because it is capable of hitting a few of our allies, including Israel. This whole ordeal is a defiance to the JCPOA and the US Government. Some sources, including NPR and the BBC, have compared Iran’s defiance to North Korea, saying that it could become the same situation in the upcoming years. Trump will have to make his decision about keeping the economic sanctions within the next month which could either better or worsen this situation.
