In open defiance of sanctions imposed last week by US President Donald Trump, Iran launched another missile test on Wednesday.
Fox News reported that Iran has just test fired a short-range defensive Mersad surface-to-air missile (SAM) from the same pad 140 miles east of Tehran used to conduct its failed medium-range missile test earlier this month. Iran’s ballistic missile program is prohibited by UN Security Council Resolution 223 but SAM missiles like the one launched on Wednesday are not included in that ban.
A US official told Fox News that the missile launch was likely connected to Iran’s 10-day commemoration of the 1979 revolution which is typified by parades displaying military equipment. The celebration commenced last Friday with hundreds of thousands of Iranians holding rallies around the country.
In response to previous ballistic missile tests that violated the , the US Treasury Department imposed economic sanctions last week targeting 25 individuals and companies associated with Iran’s ballistic missile program.The tests seem designed to antagonize the newly inaugurated President Trump, and in that respect, they are effective. The president responded in is direct manner.
Iran is playing with fire – they don’t appreciate how “kind” President Obama was to them. Not me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2017
The new national security adviser, Michael Flynn declared that the US was putting Tehran “on notice”.
The Obama Administration failed to respond adequately to Tehran’s malign actions,” Michael Flynn, the national security adviser, said in a statement ten days ago. “The Trump Administration condemns such actions by Iran that undermine security, prosperity, and stability throughout and beyond the Middle East and place American lives at risk… As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice.”
Tensions between the US and Iran are also rising as the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia heat up in Iran. The USS Cole is patrolling the waters off Aden, Yemen after a Houthi rebel suicide boat attacked a Saudi frigate, killing two.
