Russian Source: Iran Conducted a New Missile Test

The Russian news agency Interfax has reported, citing an informed source, that Russian control radars detected that Iran conducted a missile test this week. The informed source, unnamed in the Interfax report, stated on Thursday, April 21: "Radar stations located in Oryol and Armavir have detected that a ballistic missile was launched in Iran." Just a day prior to this report, the conservative publication Washington Free Beacon in the U.S. wrote that Iran had tested a new missile for the first time last week, which the Pentagon considers an attempt to develop long-range missiles. This report was reflected in the Fars news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but this media outlet did not comment on the accuracy of the Washington Free Beacon report. The Washington Free Beacon's report stated that Iran tested the Simorgh satellite launch vehicle on Tuesday, and U.S. intelligence agencies assessed the test as relatively successful, although the missile did not reach orbit. This report coincides with statements from John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, who said he could not confirm whether Iran had launched a new missile into space. However, he assured that the U.S. is monitoring such activities. Kirby stated: "We are certainly monitoring these activities as much as we can. The question now is whether Iran launched a ballistic missile or tested ballistic missile technology. If these matters are true, they are certainly important to us, and as we have said before, this issue is contrary to UN Security Council resolutions." The Free Beacon writes that U.S. satellites monitored the Simorgh missile, which was located at the Semnan satellite launch base, as it was expected that this missile would be launched last month amid rising concerns regarding Iran's development of long-range missiles. The IRGC launched two ballistic missiles in late March of last year, one with a range of 2,000 kilometers and the other with a range of 1,700 kilometers. This incident led to U.S. protests and a dispute in the United Nations Security Council. The U.S. believes that these missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and that Iran violated UN resolutions by launching them. However, Russia, another member of the Security Council, states that this action does not constitute a violation of UN resolutions. Meanwhile, Iran insists that the launched missiles are not capable of carrying nuclear warheads.