US Reaction Following the Unveiling of 'Missile Production City' and Satellite Launch in Iran

Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, announced on Thursday, February 7, via his Twitter account that 'stricter restrictions against Iran's missile program must be reinstated.' Mr. Pompeo pointed out that Iran has violated UN Security Council resolutions by advancing its ballistic missile program, stating: 'The recent missile launch by Iran indicates the ineffectiveness of the JCPOA in halting Iran's missile program.' The US State Department also separately reacted to the unsuccessful satellite launch on Thursday, urging Iran to stop its missile activities, which violate UN Security Council Resolution 2231. According to Robert Palladino, the State Department spokesperson, Washington is aware of the unsuccessful satellite launch in Iran. In response to this action, the US State Department stated that it will not relent in pressuring the Islamic Republic to abandon its missile activities. The spokesperson also accused Iran of 'gross disregard for international norms.' Satellite images released on Thursday show that Iran has once again attempted to launch a satellite into space. The American company 'DigitalGlobe' published images of the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Semnan from Tuesday and Wednesday. The images from Tuesday show a missile at this center, while the images from Wednesday show no missile and evidence of burn marks from a launch. Brigadier General Qasem Taghizadeh, Deputy Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Support, confirmed on Wednesday that on Tuesday, 'the Safir satellite launch vehicle successfully launched the Doosti satellite into orbit in celebration of the Fajr decade.' He also announced that the 'Tolou telecommunications satellite' would be in orbit within four months. On Thursday, Iran unveiled a 'missile production city underground,' which, according to Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is 'a response to the nonsense of the West, which thinks that through sanctions and threats they can limit us and deter us from our lofty goals.' The IRGC also unveiled the 'Dezful' missile, described as 'an intelligent ground-to-ground ballistic missile with a range of one thousand kilometers.' According to Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, the Dezful missile 'is very close in dimensions and shape to the Zulfiqar missile, which has a range of 700 kilometers, but the Dezful missile has a range of one thousand kilometers, with the additional 300 kilometers in range due to the use of new technologies in this defensive product.' Mr. Hajizadeh stated that 'the destructive power of this missile is twice that of the Zulfiqar missile due to the type of materials used in its warhead.' The European Union had previously expressed 'serious concern' regarding Iran's ballistic missile activities, urging the Islamic Republic to halt these activities, especially the launch of ballistic missiles. Iran has always emphasized the defensive and deterrent nature of its missile program and does not consider it negotiable. The Security Council has also called on Iran to stop testing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry recently issued a detailed statement emphasizing that its missile program is 'purely defensive, deterrent, and indigenous.'