Iran Test Fires Medium-Range Ballistic Missile, CNN Reports

Source: Bloomberg

Iran test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile earlier this week that traveled 1,000 kilometers, CNN reported today citing an unnamed U.S. official, the latest move escalating tensions around one of the world’s most important shipping- and air-traffic corridors.

The Shabaab-3 missile didn’t pose a threat to shipping or U.S. bases in the region, CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr tweeted, citing the official. The U.S. was aware of reports of a projectile launched from Iran, a senior Trump administration official told Bloomberg News, declining further comment.

The move comes amid rising tensions with Iran after attacks on tankers and drones prompted the U.S. to call for a coalition of allies to protect ships passing through the Persian Gulf. President Donald Trump has withdrawn from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and tightened sanctions on Tehran in a bid to force negotiations on what he says would be a stronger accord.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told Bloomberg Television in an interview Thursday that he would be willing to travel to Tehran to address the Iranian public,
similar to the way Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif speaks publicly during his trips to the United Nations in New York. Trump has said he’s willing to talk with Iran, although Iran’s leaders have rejected such conversations, citing his abandoning the nuclear accord agreed to under the Obama administration.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-26/iran-test-fires-medium-range-ballistic-missile-cnn-reports