News / France

Iran may face sanctions over missile tests: France

Sunday, 13 March 2016 4:01 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 13 March 2016 3:59 PM ]

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (photo by AFP)

France says Iran may be targeted with new sanctions over its recent ballistic missile tests, to which the Islamic Republic says it is entitled because they fall within the realm of conventional military capabilities.

“If necessary, sanctions will be taken,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in Paris on Sunday. He was speaking after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry and several European counterparts.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired two ballistic missiles, dubbed Qadr-H and Qadr-F, on Wednesday as part of military drills to assess their capabilities.

A day earlier, the Guards had fired another ballistic missile, called Qiam, from silo-based launchers in different locations across the country.

The picture shows the test-firing of a ballistic missile by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on March 9, 2016.

Last October, Iran successfully test-fired its precision-guided long-range Emad missile, sparking an uproar among US politicians.

In January, the US Department of the Treasury imposed new sanctions against Iranian citizens and companies over the country’s ballistic missile program.

Iran says it has a right to carry out missile tests, asserting that none of its missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was speaking alongside the French top diplomat, described the recent tests as a breach of UN resolutions. Washington has, meanwhile, asked the UN Security Council to discuss the matter on Monday.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.

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