Iran Refuses to Halt Ballistic Missile Work

Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan issued a defiant statement Wednesday that the Islamic Republic will disregard warnings from the UN or any other agency over its ballistic missile program. “We tested Emad to show the world that the Islamic Republic will only act based on its national interests and no country or power can impose its will on us,” Dehghan said on the ministry’s website. “Since the nuclear deal we have not stopped our [missile] tests, production and research even for a day, an hour or a second.” The statement came shortly after a panel of UN experts told the Security Council that Iran’s recent tests of medium-range ballistic missiles was a violation of UN resolutions.