Iran insists its missile tests do not violate nuclear deal
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's foreign ministry insisted on Thursday that the missile tests carried out by the country's Revolutionary Guard this week do not violate Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers or a UN Security Council resolution.
According to ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the missiles were "conventional defensive instruments and they were merely for legitimate defense," the official IRNA news agency reported.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard test-launched two ballistic missiles on Wednesday emblazoned with the phrase "Israel must be wiped out" in Hebrew -- a show of power by the Shiite nation, long an opponent of Israel.
Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the launch, saying it did violate the UN resolution and that it shows that Iran "continues to dismiss the international community's demands and to develop its aggressive capabilities." In a statement Thursday, the ministry called on the world to "react firmly and decisively" against further Iranian missile launches.
