Defence minister says it's "normal" for Iran to test missiles
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Iran's defence minister said on Wednesday it was "normal" for the country to test missiles as part of its defence research, Iranian media reported, after Washington said Tehran had test-fired a medium-range missile last week.
Brigadier General Amir Hatami stopped short of explicitly confirming the test. A U.S. defence official said last week Iran had launched what appeared to be a medium-range ballistic missile that travelled some 1,000 km (620 miles), and added that the test by Washington's arch-foe in the Middle East posed no threat to shipping or U.S. personnel in the region.
"Such things are normal across the world," Hatami was quoted by the semi-official news agency ISNA as saying, after being asked about the reported missile test.
"The research programmes of the armed forces are drawn up and carried out every year...including missile tests."
