First Missile Test after Nuclear Deal

09 March 2016 | 22:57 Code : 1957075 General category
IRGC showcases its latest missile achievements in first post-JCPOA drill
First Missile Test after Nuclear Deal

Iran launched the final round of missile drills dubbed “The Might of Velayat” on Tuesday, March 8, 2016. The series of drills aimed to test indigenous IRGC-designed ballistic missiles with ranges of 300, 500, 800 and 2000 kilometers continued until Wednesday noon.

 

Today, ballistic missiles Ghadr-H and Ghadr-F were fired from silos located on the eastern side of the Alborz mountain range towards targets in Makran, 1400 kilometers away from the Gulf of Oman.

 

The main stage of the IRGC missile drills was held in the Central province of Qom, Fars News reported.

 

The drills are operated under the supervision of the Head of the IRGC Aerospace Division, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

 

Fars News Agency, known to be close to the IRGC, reported of Ayatollah Khomeini’s famous quote, “Israel must be wiped off the map”, painted on the body of missiles that were fired on Wednesday, though photos could not verify the claim.

 

“The 1,240-mile range of our missiles is to confront the Zionist regime,” Hajizadeh said on Wednesday, though he added that Israel “will collapse even before being hit by these missiles.”

 

This was the first missile test Iran staged after the historic nuclear agreement in July 2015. Tough negotiations had taken place at the final stage of the nuclear talks by Iranian diplomats to exclude Iran’s missile program from any likely agreement. US State Department Spokesman John Kirby admitted on Tuesday that the missile launch would not constitute a breach of the deal. "I do want to make it clear that such tests, if they are true, are not a violation of the JCPOA," he said.

 

“Enemies should recognize the fundamental difference between Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and its inherently defensive missile program. The most significant difference is that the nuclear program was negotiable while the missile program is not. This is the message the Might of Velayat drill aims to communicate to all enemies,” wrote Yadollah Javani, a senior commander of IRGC on Wednesday in Javan newspaper.

 

IRD/66