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Iran Tests Another Ballistic Missile in Violation of UN Resolution

Iran carried out a ballistic missile test in violation of a United Nations resolution on Sunday, the first since President Donald Trump was inaugurated earlier this month, U.S. officials told Fox News on Monday.

The launch involved a Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile, which the officials said flew for 600 miles before exploding in a failed test of a reentry vehicle. It took place near Semnan, a well-known testing site some 140 miles from Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the test a “flagrant breach” of UN Security Council resolutions and urged the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran on Monday. “Iranian aggression must not go unanswered,” he said in a video message posted to his Facebook page.

United Nations Security Council resolution 2231, which formalized the nuclear deal with Iran last year, “calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.” The resolution also says that Iran must abide by previous Security Council resolutions, which placed restrictions on ballistic missile work until 2023.

The language “calls upon” is weaker than the language used in UN Security Council resolution 1929, which declared that Iran “shall not” develop ballistic missiles. Due to this distinction, the UN and European Union declined to impose sanctions on Iran for ballistic missile tests in March of last year.

Following this inaction, Senators Bob Corker (R – Tenn.) and Ben Cardin (D – Md.), respectively the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, initiated a bipartisan effort to impose sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program. The Senate effort was praised by the editors of The Washington Post, who noted that “Tehran’s behavior comes as no surprise to the many observers who predicted the deal would not alter its hostility to the West or its defiance of international norms. Unfortunately, the Obama administration’s response has also been much as critics predicted: It has done its best to play down Iran’s violations and avoid any conflict out of fear that the regime might walk away from a centerpiece of President Obama’s legacy.”

[Photo: Fars News ]