Washington: Iran has test-launched a medium-range ballistic missile inside its borders, US officials said.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, an expert on Iranian defence at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said the missile, a Shahab-3, is a liquid-fuelled, medium-range ballistic weapon capable of carrying a nuclear weapon.
“The Shahab-3 is the backbone of Iran’s class of medium-range ballistic missiles,” he said, adding that Iranian news outlets have previously called it one of the country’s “Israel-hitting” missiles.
It is derived from a North Korean missile called the Nodong-A and can fly up to 2000 kilometres.
The test came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West, mainly over the safety of commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and two days before nations still party to the nuclear deal plan to meet in Vienna to see to what extent the agreement can be saved.
The test provides a new challenge for newly installed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – Britain is already entangled in a dispute with Iran over seized oil tankers.
It defies Trump administration demands that Iran curtail its weapon program and demonstrates intent to further push back against US sanctions.
Read the article by Robert Burns and Deb Riechmann in The Sydney Morning Herald.