U.S. considers fresh sanctions against Iran over missile test

UNITED STATE Congress has said Iran’s October missile test violated a U.N. Security Council resolution and called for more sanctions on Tehran. As a follow up to this, the White House said it would not rule out additional steps against Iran over the test of the medium-range Emad rocket.

According to Reuters, the Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Iran said in a confidential report, that the launch showed the rocket met its requirements for considering that a missile could deliver a nuclear weapon.

“On the basis of its analysis and findings the Panel concludes that Emad launch is a violation by Iran of paragraph 9 of Security Council resolution 1929,” the panel said.

Diplomats said the rocket test on Oct. 10 was not technically a violation of the July nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, but the U.N. report could put U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration in an awkward position.