Iranian missiles do not threaten the United States, and only act as a deterrent to neighbors, Brookings Institution fellow Paul R. Pillar wrote in a blog post on the National Interest.
The US has threatened sanctions against Iran for the development and production of missiles on Thursday, threatening the outcome of the Iranian nuclear deal.
"Iranian ballistic missiles pose no threat to U.S. interests as long as Iran does not have the fissile material to build nuclear weapons that could be put atop any of those missiles. Preventing such a nuclear capability is, of course, what the JCPOA is all about," Pillar wrote.
According to Pillar, Iran's development of missiles is linked to the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, in which cities on both sides were routinely hit with ballistic missiles. Saudi Arabia is one of the main proliferators of missile technology in the Middle East, Pillar wrote.
"Today, Iranian leaders look across the Gulf at their regional rivals in Saudi Arabia and see a substantial missile force incorporating technology from China and Pakistan. It would be a non-starter for any Iranian leader, regardless of his politics or ideology, to disavow continued efforts to try to improve and develop Iran's own force," Pillar added.
Because of this, treating Iran's missile program as part of its nuclear program is problematic, because the missile tests "do not involve a violation of anything that Iran has agreed to," Pillar wrote.
(Sputnik)
2/1/16
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The Obama administration said Saturday that it needed more time before it could move to impose new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile program....
ReplyDelete“We have additional work that needs to be done before we would announce additional designations," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters in Hawaii, where President Barack Obama was on vacation.
Rhodes said the additional work the U.S. was undertaking was not based on pushback from Iran.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday ordered his defense minister to expand Iran's missile program, in defiance of the threat of new U.S. sanctions.
U.S. officials say Iran has test-fired two ballistic missiles, one in October and one in November, since reaching an agreement in July with global powers on curbing its nuclear program.
A U.N. panel ruled last month that the October launch violated a Security Council resolution that bans Iran’s development of ballistic missile systems.
http://www.voanews.com/content/white-house-more-time-needed-iran-sanctions/3129081.html