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One day after North Korea launched 4 ballistic missiles, 3 of which fell into the East Sea inside Japan's economic exclusion zone, and which have painted a spotlight on how Trump will react to this latest provocation, Fox reports that Iran also test-fired a pair of ballistic missiles this weekend into the Gulf of Oman, with one missile destroying a floating barge approximately 155 miles away.
The launches of the Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missiles were the first tests of the missile in two years, one official said. It was not immediately clear if this was the first successful test at sea -- raising concerns for the U.S. Navy, which operates warships in the area.
According to one quoted official, Iran launched the two short-range ballistic missiles from Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bases in Bandar-e-Jask, in southeastern Iran. The first missile was fired on Saturday, but missed its target, though it landed "in the vicinity," one official said. A day later, Iran made another attempt and was successful. The Iranian Fateh-110 Mod 3 has a new "active seeker," helping the missile locate ships at sea, according to one official.
"It's a concern based on the range and that one of the missiles worked," said one official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the launch. Two years ago, Iranian cruise missiles destroyed a large barge designed to look like an American aircraft carrier. Iranian state-television broadcast the images publicly at the time.
The new Iranian short-range ballistic missile launches come a week after Iran successfully test-fired Russian surface-to-air missiles, part of the S-300 air defense system Russia sent to Iran recently.
According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Iran has conducted as many as 14 ballistic missile launches since the landmark nuclear agreement in July 2015. A senior U.S. military official told Fox News that Iran had made great advances in its ballistic missile program over the past decade.
Late last month, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said Iran's behavior had not changed since the White House put the Islamic Republic "on notice" following Iran's successful intermediate-range ballistic missile test-launch in late January.
This launch appears to be in addition to what we reported on Saturday, in which Iran successfully test-fired a sophisticated, Russian-supplied S-300 air defense system, according to the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday. The drill took place during a recent military exercise named Damvand, and was attended by senior military commanders and officials according to Tasnim.
In a separate report, Reuters notes that Iranian vessels came within 600 yards of U.S. Navy ship in Strait of Hormuz, forced it to change direction, Reuters says in tweet, citing unidentified official.
Comment: Iranian vessels cause US Navy ship to change course in Strait of Hormuz - US official
Multiple Iranian vessels stopped once they came within about 600 yards of the USNS Invincible, a tracking ship, which was accompanied by three British Royal Navy ships, the official told Reuters. The Invincible and its entourage were forced to change course.
The incident was "unsafe and unprofessional," the official told Reuters. He added that the Invincible's attempts to communicate over radio were not answered.
The Strait of Hormuz is off the Iranian coast, east of the Persian Gulf. The official did not say where in the strait the interaction occurred.
It is unclear as of this moment if the two incident were related, and whether the White House plans on responding to either the North Korean ballistic missile launch or the latest moves by Tehran as the Trump administration has vowed to do.
Reader Comments
It is called Persian Gulf … right?
People should start avoiding recruitment stations, joining the Special ops teams and reenlistment. Put the strain on the military might. They will ultimately re introduce the draft but they cannot do anything with a whole training base full of draftees sitting down.