Iran Says Missile Tests Not Violation Of Nuclear Deal: Report

Ankara: Iran said today that its test-firing of ballistic missiles, designed to be able to hit Israel, were not a violation of a landmark nuclear deal reached in 2015 with six major powers, state TV quoted a senior official as saying.

"Iran's missile programme and its test-firing of missiles in the past days during a military drill are not against its nuclear commitments and the nuclear deal reached with the six powers," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi-Ansari.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) test-fired several ballistic missiles on Tuesday and Wednesday, state media reported. The tests are seen as a challenge to a United Nations resolution and the nuclear deal.

"Iran's missile programme will not stop under any circumstances ... The IRGC has never accepted the U.N. Security Council resolutions on Iran's missile work ... we are always ready to defend the country against any aggressor. Iran will not turn into Yemen, Iraq or Syria," Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh told state TV on late Wednesday.

The IRGC test-fired several ballistic missiles on Tuesday and Wednesday, state media reported. The tests are seen as a challenge to a United Nations resolution and the 2015 nuclear deal under which Tehran agreed to restrict its atomic program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.