Iran’s Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan on Monday announced the country had successfully tested two new missiles, according to various media reports. Descriptions vary, but Dehqan described them as a “new generation of long-range, ground-to-ground ballistic missile,” reported Reuters, which cited a statement made on Iranian government television. On Tuesday, the state-run Fars News Agency reported on a missile with a multiple-reentry vehicle with radar-evading capabilities, according to a Nuclear Threat Initiative release. Dehqan called the missile “Bina,” describing it also as a “laser-guided air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missile” that is “capable of striking important targets such as bridges, tanks, and enemy command centers,” according to Reuters. Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said the Defense Department is closely monitoring Iran’s missile program, adding it “continues to pose a dangerous threat to [the] region.” The test comes days before international talks aimed at curbing the country’s nuclear program are set to begin. The permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany reached an interim agreement with Iran in November and the parties are expected to begin negotiating a full agreement in Vienna on Feb. 18.
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…