Iran tests ballistic missile, France and United States condemn

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran fired a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers on Thursday morning, Iranian state media said, two days after the chief of the Israeli armed forces mentioned the possibility of “action” against Tehran and its nuclear program .

The new test was particularly condemned by the United States and France, which accused Tehran of violating a United Nations Security Council resolution.

“France condemns this new violation of Resolution 2231 adopted by the UN Security Council in 2015,” said French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre.

“These developments are all the more worrying in the context of Iran’s continued growth in its nuclear program,” he said.

In Washington, the US State Department stressed that the development of ballistic missiles by Iran posed a serious threat to regional and international security.

Iran, which has one of the largest missile programs in the Middle East, says its missiles are capable of reaching Israel and US military bases in the region.

Tehran says it wants to continue developing a “defensive” missile program despite protests from the United States and European countries.

Defense Minister Mohammadreza Ashtiani said, “Our message to Iran’s enemies is that we will defend our country and its achievements. Our message to our friends is that we want to help maintain regional stability.”

A top Israeli general raised the possibility of “action” against Iran on Tuesday, as talks to restart the 2015 Iran nuclear deal scramble amid growing mistrust among Western nations.

(Reporting by Elvelly Elvelly with John Irish in Paris and Simon Lewis in Washington; French edition Editing by Zhifan Liu, Blandine Heinault and Tangi Salon)