AP
TEHRAN, MARCH 9
Iran reportedly test-fired two ballistic missiles Wednesday with the phrase “Israel must be wiped out” written on them, a show of force by the Islamic Republic as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Israel.
Such phrases have been emblazoned on missiles fired before by Iran, but this test comes as the country recently signed a nuclear deal with world powers, including America. Hardliners in Iran’s military have fired rockets and missiles despite U.S. objections since the deal, as well as shown underground missile bases on state television.
ISRAEL YET TO REACT
There was no immediate reaction from Jerusalem, where Mr. Biden was scheduled to speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who strongly opposed the nuclear deal.
The semiofficial Fars news agency offered pictures on Wednesday, it said, were of the Qadr H missiles being fired. It said they were fired in Iran’s eastern Alborz mountain range to hit a target some 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) away off Iran’s coast into the Sea of Oman. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which patrols that region, declined to comment on the test.
MESSAGE TO ISRAEL
Fars quoted Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace division, saying the test was aimed at showing Israel that Iran could hit it.
“The 2,000-kilometre [1,240-mile] range of our missiles is to confront the Zionist regime,” Mr. Hajizadeh said. “Israel is surrounded by Islamic countries and it will not last long in a war. It will collapse even before being hit by these missiles.”
NOT THE FIRST TIME
Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to immediately comment. Iran has threatened to destroy Israel in the past. Israel, which is believed to have the only nuclear weapons arsenal in the Mideast, repeatedly has threatened to take military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The firing of the Qadr H missiles comes after a U.S. State Department spokesman on Tuesday criticized another missile launch, saying America planned to bring it before the United Nations Security Council.
N-DEAL UNDER WAY
A nuclear deal between Iran and world powers including the U.S. is now under way, negotiated by the administration of moderate President Hassan Rouhani. In the time since the deal, however, hardliners in Iran’s military have made several shows of strength.
Iran has fired rockets near U.S. warships and flown an unarmed drone over an American aircraft carrier in recent months.
In January, Iran seized 10 U.S. sailors in the Gulf when their two riverine command boats headed from Kuwait to Bahrain ended up in Iranian territorial waters after the crews “mis-navigated,” the U.S. military said. The sailors were taken to a small port facility on Farsi Island, held for about 15 hours and released after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke several times with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
