The Daily Signal:
Recently, Iran conducted a successful test of a new precision-guided, long-range ballistic missile—dubbed “Emad.”
This test is an outright violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2231, which states that “Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology” for a period of eight years.
Obama Administration Failures
The Emad missile test highlights the Obama Administration’s failures in negotiating the Iran nuclear agreement (also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA). Administration officials, including the President, promised, on multiple occasions, that the deal would halt Iran’s ballistic missile program. Yet a mere three months after the agreement was signed, Iran has tested its first precision-guided, long-range missile.
Iran’s violation of UNSCR 2231 further demonstrates what should have already been obvious: Iran cannot be trusted to uphold its obligations under international law. The Obama Administration, however, has imprudently committed itself to that trust by agreeing to the JCPOA’s flawed verification procedures, which outsource monitoring to the International Atomic Energy Agency and allow Iran plenty of time before inspections to hide incriminating evidence.
The Need for New Action
Iran’s latest transgression highlights the need for new action in the face of Iranian transgressions. Middle East expert James Phillips argues that the next U.S. President should use Iranian malfeasance as grounds to invalidate the JCPOA, re-impose and expand sanctions on Iran, strengthen the U.S. military to deter Iran from attaining a nuclear capability, and renegotiate a better deal.
In the meantime, however, we are stuck with the flawed agreement. Thus, it is increasingly essential that the U.S. rejuvenate its missile defense program, which has languishedduring the Obama Administration. In FY 2009, the Administration killed advanced programs like the Airborne Laser that would target missiles in the boost and ascent phases, when a missile is at its most vulnerable…
