IRGC commander says Iran has tested a new missile
The commander of the Iranian Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami has told local media on Saturday that Iran has "tested a new missile."
Salami did not elaborate on the type and range of the new missile, but it appears from what he said that the missile was test fired on Friday.
He told IRGC's Tasnim news agency on Saturday: "Our country is always the arena for testing a variety of defense and strategic systems and these are non-stop moves towards the growth of our deterrent power, and yesterday was one of the successful days for this nation."
A CNN report quoted U.S. officials last week as having said that Iran was going to test fire a missile shortly.
The report had said that Iran would probably introduce the new missile as a satellite carrier, although the United States will call it a test within the framework of Iran's missile development program.
One of the objectives of the United States' pull-out from the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018 was to start a new round of negotiations to curb Iran's ballistic missile program among other things.
On Friday, Iran’s deputy defense minister Qassem Taqizadeh said his country has precision missiles it has not unveiled to be able to surprise its enemies. “A lot of accomplishments cannot be revealed through the media, so we hide them” to surprise the enemy when the day comes, he said.
