Commander of the Aerospace Force of the IRGC Confirms 'Important' Missile Test

Ten days after the U.S. Secretary of State stated that Iran had recently tested a medium-range ballistic missile, the commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed such a test and called it 'important.' He also reported that Iran conducts 'more than 40 or 50' missile tests annually. Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, revealed on December 1 that Iran's missile test, which has the capability to carry a nuclear warhead and can target parts of Europe and the entire Middle East, violates UN Security Council Resolution 2231. His remarks prompted multiple reactions from Iranian and European officials, leading to a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council at the request of France and Britain. Iranian Foreign Ministry officials have avoided clearly confirming such a test over the past ten days; however, on Tuesday, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, confirmed the recent missile test in an interview with Fars News Agency, stating, 'We conduct our missile tests, and this recent one was an important test.' Regarding Mike Pompeo's reaction, Hajizadeh said, 'These reactions indicate that this issue was very important to them that they raised their voices.' He emphasized that 'we conduct more than 40 or 50 tests a year,' adding that the American reactions to some of these tests indicate pressure on them. Despite Secretary Pompeo accusing Iran of testing a missile with 'nuclear warhead capability,' the Iranian counterpart denied this claim, and the IRGC Aerospace Force commander did not specify the type of missile in this discussion. The commander had previously spoken about the missile capabilities of the Islamic Republic, stating that a range of two thousand kilometers for Iranian missiles is 'not a divine decree' and that the Islamic Republic has the capability to build missiles with greater ranges. These statements come as Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC's overall commander, stated last year that the range of Iranian-made missiles was chosen to be two thousand kilometers 'according to the policies set by the leadership.' He added that 'this amount is currently sufficient, as the Americans have enough presence within a two-thousand-kilometer radius around our country to respond in case of an attack.' In response to these remarks, Heather Nauert, the U.S. State Department spokesperson, stated that this range is excessive and puts America's allied countries within range. In this context, Hajizadeh stated that there are no limitations to increase missile ranges beyond two thousand kilometers. A German newspaper reported that Iran's missile tests have doubled. Trump stated, 'We will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.' Tehran's reaction to the UN Security Council meeting regarding Iran's missile test has also been noted.