Iran tests more missiles, brags about having Israel in range
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran continued its test of ballistic weapons on Wednesday morning by launching two Qadr missiles. The guard stressed that it could hit targets in Israel.
"The reason we designed our missiles with a range of 2000km is to be able to hit our enemy .... from a safe distance," Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by the ISNA agency.
The two Qadr missiles were fired from northern Iran and hit targets in the southeast some 1,400km away, the Iranian media reported.
On Tuesday, the IRGC reported firing several unspecified ballistic missiles from underground silos across the country. They are presumed to be Iran’s new Emad missiles, which the Islamic Republic first revealed in October 2015, saying they have advanced guidance systems.
The Iranian missile tests were conducted in defiance of fresh US sanctions, imposed two months ago in response to the first Emad test. The Jewish state is currently hosing US Vice-President Joe Biden for talks on regional issues. Last week Israel and the US conducted a joint missile defense drill in Israel.
Washington accuses Tehran of developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. The October test violated a UN Security Council resolution, which banned Iran from testing nuclear-capable missiles.
The resolution has since expired as Iran complied with the terms of a nuclear deal it signed last year with six leading world powers. Iran insisted that the October test was not a violation since the country never intended to develop a nuclear weapon or the means to deliver it.
