Iran’s growing ballistic missiles program is threatening to derail the regime’s nuclear talks with the West, the Washington Examiner newspaper has warned.
The P5+1 nations in negotiations with Tehran have agreed to leave ballistic missiles out of the talks at the regime’s demand – but their diverse arsenal of missiles is now becoming a major concern for the US Congress and public, the paper said.
The major concern is that Iran’s missiles could soon be used with nuclear warheads if the talks collapse, and could ultimately be able to strike Israel, Europe and the US, the Washington Examiner wrote.
Congressman Ron DeSantis told the paper: “The missile program of Iran is something that never has even seemed to be seriously discussed throughout the course of these negotiations. And it’s a very, very significant issue.”
Citing the recent revelations made by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said: “Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, initially developed with North Korea’s help, has been steadily expanding in size and quality, in spite of the UN Security Council’s prohibition of the program. That cooperation has continued with the recent visit of North Korean experts to Iran.”
The report added: “State Department officials say they are investigating the allegations, but would not give details.
“Experts believe that Iran already has developed missiles capable of hitting Europe, and may have intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of hitting the United States by the end of the decade if the program continues to advance.”
It quoted Rebecca Heinrichs, of the George C Marshall Institute, telling a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee in March: “Missiles are a cost-effective way for a country like Iran to pose an asymmetric threat to much more militarily sophisticated countries like the U.S. and are powerful weapons for coercion; therefore, Iran is motivated to keep and improve its arsenal.
“Iran wants more than a nuclear weapon. Iran wants to be able to credibly threaten its enemies with a nuclear missile,” she said. “Any deal focused on Iran’s nuclear program must include its missile program.”
And Naval War College professor David Cooper told the paper that the development of intermediate or long-range ballistic missiles had proven to be an accurate litmus test of a country’s nuclear intentions, as with Pakistan or North Korea.
He said: “Time and again, real-world experience has demonstrated that the long-term time horizons, the vast expense and the international taboo of long-range ballistic missile programs really only make economic, political or military sense in the broader context of an ambition to become a nuclear weapons power.
“This is arguably the most absolute indicator of whether a state’s nuclear programs are peaceful, or are associated with nuclear weapons ambitions. Iran does say that their nuclear weapons programs are peaceful, but I would argue that the missiles may tell a different story.”
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