Breaking: Iran ballistic missile launch called a “threat to international security” by UK

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After it emerged on Wednesday 22 December that Iran had fired over a dozen missiles from land and sea as part of an ongoing military exercise, the UK has labelled the event as a “clear breach” of UN rules. The statement from the government about the Iran ballistic missile launch as a “threat to international security”.

The Foreign Office said in a statement: “The launch is a clear breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which requires that Iran not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons – including launches using ballistic missile technology.

“These actions are a threat to regional and international security and we call on Iran to immediately cease its activities.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired 16 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles during exercises across the country’s south this week, the state-backed IRNA news agency reported. The report said the short and medium-range missiles can reach US bases in the region as well as ‘archenemy’ Israel.

The Iran ballistic missile launch has been hailed a success by the country’s security forces. It said the missiles successfully hit one target at the same time as 10 drones simultaneously hit their targets, as reported by the Metro. Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, said the planned drill was an answer to Israel’s recent ‘massive but pointless threats’ to Iran.

“This was a tiny part of hundreds of missiles that can hit any hostile target simultaneously,” Bagheri said. From time to time, Iran holds military exercises, saying they are aimed at improving the readiness of its forces and testing new weapons. The five-day annual exercise that began on Monday came days after the break-up of talks to revive Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. The talks will resume on Monday but negotiators from the UK, France and Germany have all warned that ‘we are rapidly reaching the end of the road’.


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Written by

Claire Gordon

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