Donald Trump's Reaction to Iran's Recent Ballistic Missile Test

The President of the United States has reacted on his Twitter account to Iran's latest missile test. The ballistic missile 'Khoramshahr' was tested recently, and Tehran claims it has a range of 'two thousand kilometers.' On October 24, Donald Trump tweeted, 'Iran has just tested a ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. There is not much agreement between us.' The reference to 'agreement' seems to point to the nuclear deal between the previous U.S. administration, five other global powers, and Tehran, which Donald Trump has been an opponent and critic of since his election campaign last year. The U.S. President recently stated that he will announce his decision regarding the nuclear deal and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action soon. The U.S. government must send a certification to Congress every 90 days regarding Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal, which could mean the suspension of sanctions or a lack of compliance by Iran. The Trump administration has issued this certification twice so far, with the next deadline in October. The declared range for 'Khoramshahr' indicates that this missile could reach various points in West Asia, including Israel. Yesterday, the Tasnim news agency described the Khoramshahr missile as 'Israel's nightmare.' Before Mr. Trump referred to the missile's capability to reach Israeli territory, the defense minister of this key Washington ally had also described the 'Khoramshahr' missile test as 'provocative.' The Israeli defense minister stated that this 'provocative' action by Iran indicates the country's desire 'to become a global power to threaten other countries.' Missile tests and the development of ballistic missiles in Iran have repeatedly faced severe criticism from U.S. officials, who describe this issue as a factor of instability in the region or as undermining the 'spirit' of the JCPOA. It is also noted that a Security Council resolution supporting the nuclear deal two years ago prohibited the testing of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. On the other hand, Tehran claims its missile tests are defensive in nature and that it 'does not seek permission from anyone' in this regard. The Iranian government also states that it is not fundamentally seeking to build nuclear weapons that these missiles could carry. The 'Khoramshahr' missile was introduced last October as 'Iran's newest long-range missile.' In February of last year, reports of its testing were published based on American officials' statements. At that time, Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, after a Security Council meeting, called the testing of a missile described as having 'medium' range 'absolutely unacceptable.'