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Tehran, Iran, Sept. 26
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
The United States’ denial of Iran’s recent missile test is merely a political measure to prevent the image of Iran’s military power growing with Western audience, a political activist in Iran says.
“The denial was a desperate move which stems from the fact that the United States cannot stand Iran grow in military power,” Hamid Reza Taraqi, international affairs director at the Islamic Coalition Party, told Trend Sept. 26.
On Friday, Iranian state TV aired a footage that it said belonged to the test firing of a recently developed missile, the Khorramshahr. On Monday, the White House dismissed the missile test as fake.
US intelligence radars and sensors "picked up no indication" of an Iranian ballistic missile launch in the days surrounding a reported test, according to a Trump administration official familiar with the latest US assessment.
Iranian reports that the nation tested a new ballistic missile so far does not appear to be true, the official said, adding, "As far as we can see, it did not happen."
President Donald Trump tweeted about the apparent launch on Saturday: “Iran just test fired a ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!”
Taraqi, in the meantime, said Iran does not need to show any reaction to the White House denial, because “the message has already been communicated to them. It is clear how hard the US and Israel are shaking in their boots after the missile test.”
Last Friday morning, the missile was unveiled during a military parade in Tehran, attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior military officials.
The Khorramshahr, which is Iran’s third type of missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers along with the Qadr-F and Sejjil ballistic missiles, is capable of carrying multiple warheads.
According to Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a senior commander with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, the Khorramshahr missile has become smaller in size and more tactical and it will be operational in the near future.