Iran Reports Ballistic Missile Test with '2000 Kilometer Range'

About two weeks after reports from Russian and American media regarding a new missile test in Iran, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran announced that the military forces of the Islamic Republic tested a 'long-range ballistic missile' with a range of '2000 kilometers' and an 'error margin of 8 meters' two weeks ago. According to Tasnim News Agency, Ali Abdollahi said on Tuesday, May 20, 'We can guide this ballistic missile, it exits the atmosphere and re-enters, hitting the target without error.' He added, 'An error margin of 8 meters means nothing, means zero, means no error.' The Deputy Chief of Staff did not disclose the name of this missile. The Russian news agency Interfax reported on Thursday, April 2, citing an informed source, that Russian control radars detected that Iran conducted a missile test that week. A day before this report, the conservative publication Washington Free Beacon in the U.S. wrote that Iran tested the Simorgh satellite launcher that week on Tuesday, and U.S. intelligence agencies assessed the test as relatively successful, although the missile did not reach orbit. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched two ballistic missiles in late Esfand last year, with one reported to have a range of 2000 kilometers and the other 1700 kilometers. This event led to protests from the U.S. and a controversy in the United Nations Security Council. The U.S. believes these missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and that Iran violated UN resolutions by launching them. Meanwhile, Iran insists that the launched missiles are not capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Security Council Resolution 2231, issued after the Vienna nuclear agreement to endorse it, calls on Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran argues that its missile tests do not contradict the nuclear agreement and that 'the tested missiles were not designed to carry nuclear warheads.'