(Reuters) Iran successfully tested a rocket that can deliver satellites into orbit, state television reported on Thursday, an action the U.S. said breaches a UN Security Council resolution because of its potential use in ballistic missile development. The rocket launch violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Thursday. That resolution calls upon Iran not to undertake activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such technology. Nauert called Iran's rocket launch a "provocative action" that violated the "spirit" of the nuclear deal. On Monday, Scott Kripowicz of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency told a conference in Israel: "Space-launch activities which involve multi-stage systems that further the development of technologies for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are becoming a more realistic threat....Progress in Iran's space program could shorten the pathway to an ICBM, as space-launch vehicles use similar technologies."
2017-07-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive