Iran’s recent strike on the Islamic State was also a signal to the U.S. that the country’s missile program will not be deterred by sanctions, according to Iranian parliamentarians.
The strike served as a message to the U.S. Congress that Iran will not be stopped by sanctions, in addition to marking a “new and major” stage in the country’s fight against ISIS, said a statement from the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission. The statement also promised more retribution attacks should Iran fall victim to any more terror attacks.
Iran’s strike was conducted by forces from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the country’s radical paramilitary group, on Sunday. An IRGC statement confirming the strikes noted they were a retaliation against an ISIS attack in Tehran, the Iranian capital, earlier this month.
The strike also followed the passage of a new round of sanctions against Iran’s missile program by Congress on Thursday. Iranian officials complained the new sanctions violate the spirit of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal, however, ballistic missiles are not included in the agreement.
Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal is one of the largest and most diverse in the region. The Islamic Republic began investing in missiles after Western countries cut it off from aircraft parts shortly after the Islamic revolution in 1979. U.S. officials have claimed that some of these missiles have been given to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are currently fighting a coalition of Arab forces, some of whom are U.S. allies.
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