Iran on Tuesday conducted its fourth ballistic missile test since signing the nuclear agreement with the United States and five other world powers last year, Fox News reported Friday, citing intelligence officials.
Tehran used North Korean technology to launch a new kind of ballistic missile Tuesday, but the test failed shortly after liftoff when the missile exploded.
The attempted launch came two days before the anniversary of the Iran deal’s signing on July 14 of last year.
The test violated a United Nations resolution that bars Iran from conducting ballistic missile tests for eight years. Iran is "called upon not to undertake an activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology," according to U.N. Security Council 2231, which enshrined the Iran nuclear deal into international law.
Critics of the nuclear accord argue that the text of resolution 2231, which "calls upon" Iran not to test ballistic missiles, contains weaker language than the older U.N. resolution 1929 that it replaced, which stated that "Iran shall not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology."
Iran says its tests are lawful because the ballistic missiles are not designed to carry a nuclear warhead.
The nuclear deal does not contain specific provisions stopping Iran from launching ballistic missile tests.
Iran drew international ire in March after test-launching a ballistic missile engraved with the message "Israel must be wiped out" on it.
The Islamic Republic conducted two other ballistic missile tests in October and November.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon said in a confidential report that Iran’s ballistic missile launches "are not consistent with the constructive spirit" of the nuclear deal, Reuters reported last week.
Iranian officials have said they remain committed to pursuing the country’s ballistic missile program, which has become the cornerstone of Iran’s strategic forces.