WASHINGTON: The US on Tuesday accused Iran of developing missiles under the guise of a satellite program.
In a State Department statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “The Iranian regime uses satellite launches to develop its ballistic missile capabilities, the technologies used to launch satellites into orbit are virtually identical and interchangeable with those used in longer range systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles.”
An Iranian “Phoenix” rocket launched from Khomeini Spaceport in the country’s Semman province on Sunday failed to put the Zafar 1 communications satellite into orbit due to low speed.
Pompeo further criticized the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal, which US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of in 2018 while slapping sweeping sanctions on Iran.
“Iran’s series of space launches reflects the failure of the Iran deal to constrain testing that could support further advancement of Iran’s ballistic missile program, the Iran deal lifted the prohibition on Iran’s missile testing and development of systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons and we are seeing the dangerous consequences today.”
In a Twitter post, Pompeo referred to Iran as the “world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism” and said it “should not be allowed to develop and test ballistic missiles.”
The Iranian regime uses satellite launches to further advance its ballistic missile capabilities that allow it to threaten its adversaries and threaten regional stability. The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism should not be allowed to develop and test ballistic missiles.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 11, 2020
Tensions between Washington and Tehran soared last month after Trump ordered a drone strike that killed a top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, as he visited Iraq, where Iranian-allied Shiite militias had fired rockets on bases housing US troops.