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The launching of an Iranian Ghadr ballistic missile. Photo: Mahmood Hosseini via Wikimedia Commons.

WhenIran launches major missile tests, major protests from Western countries inevitablyfollow.

Theinternational community is rightfully concerned about the dangers of Irans ballistic missile program, and as such, the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 2231 in July 2015, banningIran from testing ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear payload. More recently, after Iran tested missiles multiple times, the Trump administration slapped new sanctions on Tehran.

Yes, the Islamic Republicpays a heavyprice for testing long-range missiles.

March 23, 2017 8:05 am

But, how accurate are Irans claims of its capabilities? How real are the threats of its supposed new, advanced weaponry? And why would the mullahs continue to engage in these missile tests when they pay for it on the world stage every time they do?

Several months ago, Iran announced the manufacturing of three missiles theKhorramshahr, Qadir and Sejil claiming they hadhigh-level accuracy, landing less than 10 meters away from their intended targets. On Jan. 29, Tehran test-launched an intermediate-range Khorramshahr ballistic missile, but technicians were forced to self-destruct the vessel, as therange-error was proven to be embarrassinglysignificant (the projectile washeaded fordozens of kilometers off target)andthreatened to cause civilian casualties. This was the fate of a missile that Iran boasted had pinpoint accuracy.

Iran also bloviatesabout manufacturingtheFajr missile series,which arenothing but replicas of Russian World War II designs. The notion that those missiles could have pinpoint accuracy is far-fetched, as they areuseless in todays world.

The truth is that Iran is facing major domestic crises andforeign challengesthroughout the Middle East, making itall the more necessary for its leaders to use military tests, including stagingdifferent Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)drillsand engaging in variousmissile launches. Then, asnew sanctions were imposed, Iran understood itcould no longer repeat major ballistic missile tests, and instead resorted to usingterms likesmart rockets with precision accuracy or anti-helicopter mines. Too bad we live in a world in which helicopters are targeted using state-of-the-art laser-guided missiles, not mines.

Iran received a major blow from thenucleardeal sealed with the international community, which forced itto exhibit strength and engage in these over-blown missile tests. The irony is that the dealalso forced theregimes Foreign Ministry to insist that the Iranianmissile program is entirely defensive in nature, taking the bite out of the mullahs posturing about power.

However, there are parties benefiting from Iransrocketprogram, namely the regimes proxy militia groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Badr Organization, Asaeb a-l Haq and Kataeb Hezbollah in Iraq, the Houthis inYemenand many others. TheIRGC, which controls Irans missile drives, recently established underground missile-production factories for Hezbollah, which sits close to Israels northern border. This is all part of Iransdestabilizingcampaign in the region.

It is very challenging to reach conclusions about the reality behind the mullahsrhetoric, of the true character of the movesthey make. But,ifthe international community is truly serious about taking significant and meaningful action to curband ultimately uproot the Iranian missile threat, designating the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization is thecorrect path forward.Such a stepwouldquickly curb Irans missile threat and bring the entire Middle East closer to peace and stability.

The rest is here:
Iran's Missile Charade - Algemeiner