Pentagon to Proceed with Persian Gulf Missile Shield despite Iran Deal: US Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A US military official said the Pentagon will continue to work on regional missile defense system in the Persian Gulf despite progress on the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement.
According to Reuters, Robert Scher, assistant defense secretary for strategy, plans and capabilities, said the Pentagon would continue to push for cooperative missile defense programs since the nuclear agreement did not cover Iran's work on ballistic missiles.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Iran's ballistic missile activities continue to pose a risk to the United States and our allies and partners in Europe, Israel, and the (Persian) Gulf," Scher said.
He made the remarks addressing the House Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee after a Republican-backed effort to kill the Iran nuclear agreement was blocked in the US Senate.
42 Democrats voted on Thursday in favor of the agreement and prevented a resolution disapproving the deal.
The Republicans, however, have vowed to continue to fight, expressing the hope that some Democrats would vote differently next time.
"We'll revisit the issue next week and see if maybe any folks want to change their minds," the Senate's Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said in a speech angrily denouncing the vote.
Under a law Obama signed in May, Congress has a 60-day period ending on September 17 to pass a resolution disapproving of the July 14 agreement.
If such a resolution were to pass, and survive Obama's promised veto, it would bar the president from waiving many US sanctions on Tehran, a key component of the nuclear deal.
