It’s ‘normal’ for Iran to test missiles – defense minister

Iran’s defense minister said on Wednesday it was “normal” for the country to test missiles as part of its defense research, media reports say.

The statement came after Washington said Tehran had test-fired a medium-range missile last week.

Brigadier General Amir Hatami stopped short of explicitly confirming the test, Reuters said. “Such things are normal across the world,” Hatami was quoted by the semi-official news agency ISNA as saying. “The research programs of the armed forces are drawn up and carried out every year… including missile tests.”

A US defense official said last week that Iran had launched what appeared to be a medium-range ballistic missile which traveled 1,000km (620 miles), and added that the test posed no threat to shipping or US personnel in the region.