A U.S. official told CNN the current assessment is Iran could launch a three-stage rocket with a satellite on top “at any minute.” It would be Iran’s first ever launch of this configuration, and like the North Korean test earlier this year, would give Iran further insights into intercontinental ballistic missile technology. The assessment comes after Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles Wednesday, state media reported. The day before that, Iran conducted other missile tests that Washington suggests were in violation of a U.N. resolution.
The missiles, capable of reaching Iran’s archenemy Israel, were marked with a statement in Hebrew reading “Israel must be wiped off the Earth,” Iran’s semiofficial Fars News Agency reported. The phrase originates from a remark made by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic revolution. CNN has not independently confirmed this report, and Iranian media have not shown photographs of the message. READ MORE
