Iran builds 3rd underground factory to manufacture ‘ballistic missiles’

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TEHRAN, May 25, (Agencies): Iran has built a third underground plant to manufacture ballistic missiles, the head of its Revolutionary Guards aerospace division General Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh said on Thursday.

The announcement as US President Donald Trump makes a maiden foreign tour in which Saudi and Israeli concerns about Iran have loomed large is likely to stoke new tensions with Washington. “Step by step, we are developing our defensive capability and I announce today that in recent years we have built a third underground factory for the manufacture of missiles,” Iran’s Fars news agency quoted Hadjizadeh as saying.

“We are going to develop our ballistic power. It’s normal that our enemies, that is to say the United States and Israel, are angry when we show off our underground missile bases because they want the Iranian people to be in a position of weakness,” he added. In October 2015, state television aired footage for the first time of a base that Hadjizadeh said was 500 metres (1,600 feet) underground and stocked with a range of different missiles. Armed forces spokesman General Masoud Jazayeri said earlier this month that Iran had a number of such underground silos which were an “important deterrent factor against the sworn enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The United States says Iran’s missile programme is a breach of international law because the missiles could carry nuclear warheads in the future. Iran denies ever seeking nuclear weapons and says the missiles are designed to carry conventional warheads only and are a legitimate part of it defensive capabilities. The Trump administration imposed fresh sanctions on Iran following a missile test in late January. It added more last week at the same time as it renewed a waiver of sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear programme.

In Saudi Arabia on Saturday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged newly re-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to end ballistic missile testing. On Monday, Rouhani retorted that Iran did not need US permission to conduct missile tests and that they would continue “if technically necessary”. Iran has developed various designs of ballistic missiles, some with a range of 2,000 kms (1,250 miles) — sufficient to reach both Israel and US bases in the region. The US Treasury is reviewing licenses for Boeing Co and Airbus to sell aircraft to Iran, department head Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday, telling lawmakers he would increase sanctions pressure on Iran, Syria and North Korea. “We will use everything within our power to put additional sanctions on Iran, Syria and North Korea to protect American lives,” Mnuchin said in testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee.

“I can assure you that’s a big focus of mine and I discuss it with the president.” Mnuchin did not elaborate on the review of the licenses, which were issued under a 2015 agreement between Tehran and world powers to lift sanctions in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear activities. His statements followed President Donald Trump’s Middle East trip, in which he called on Iran to stop funding “terrorists and militias.” The review suggests that Trump’s support for Boeing’s defense and jetliner businesses could have political limits. Iran has accused Washington of supporting terrorism by backing rebels in Syria and says halting the airplane deals would breach the 2015 nuclear agreement. Mnuchin told the Ways and Means hearing that sanctions “really work” and were responsible for bringing Iran to the negotiating table ahead of the nuclear deal. For Boeing, losing the IranAir deal could affect 777 production, since 15 of the widebody jetliners are incluced in the first approved batch of Boeing aircraft due for delivery to IranAir by 2020.

Deliveries start in May next year. Boeing said in December it would cut 777 output by 40 percent this year under plans that include IranAir’s still-tenative order. IranAir has agreed to buy 200 US and European passenger aircraft worth up to $37 billion at list prices, though such deals typically include big discounts. They include 80 jets from Boeing, 100 from Airbus and 20 turboprops from Franco-Italian ATR. All the aircraft need US licenses because of their reliance on US parts. “Boeing continues to follow the lead of the US government with regards to working with Iran’s airlines, and any and all contracts with Iran’s airlines are contingent upon US government approval,” a spokeswoman said by email. An Airbus spokesman had no immediate comment.

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