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Has the Nuclear Deal with Iran Kickstarted a New Arms Race?
(Telegraph-UK) Con Coughlin - Iran's decision to test-fire two ballistic missiles emblazoned with the legend "Israel must be wiped out" in Hebrew is not the sort of reassuring conduct one would expect from a country that claims it wants better relations with the outside world. One of the more obvious failings of the nuclear deal is that it allows Iran, a country which the CIA says once had an illicit nuclear weapons program, to continue development work on its ballistic missiles. Washington no doubt believes there is no harm in Tehran building missiles that can strike at the heart of Europe when it does not have the means to fit them with nuclear warheads. But senior security officials in the Gulf say there is no guarantee that the deal will prevent Iran from continuing work on its nuclear weapons program. As one senior defense official commented: "We know the Iranians well, and we know they have no intention of giving up their ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons." Not surprisingly, the Gulf states have now embarked on developing a multi-billion pound anti-missile shield of their own.