Iran tested a medium-range missile inside its territory on Wednesday, according to a US military official. While analysts consider the test to be a deliberate provocation by Iran, the official stressed that the missile did not threaten US or other Western targets.
Iran has argued that tests of this kind do not violate a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on the country “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.” This is because Tehran claims not to pursue nuclear weapons. However, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Iran to abandon missile tests.
Tensions between Iran and the US and its allies have escalated in the past few months. Tehran recently started violating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was abandoned by the Trump administration last year.
Read more: In Escalation, Iran Tests Medium-Range Missile, US Official Says
