Iran claimed it successfully launched a missile, US intelligence says it didn't

Get the Full StoryAP Ebrahim NorooziUS intelligence officials said there was "no indication" Iran launched a medium-range ballistic missile on Friday as that country claimed, multiple news outlets reported on Monday.

The video footage of the purported missile was over seven months old, Fox News said — the same period in which the Iranians conducted a failed launch where a missile exploded prematurely.

Iran did not include the location or date of the launch at the time it released the footage.

"You are seeing images of the successful test of the Khorramshahr ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 km, the latest missile of our country," Iranian state media said on Saturday, as it played footage of the supposed launch, Reuters reported.

The country was reportedly testing the Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile, a missile that has been reported to share similarities with North Korea's counterpart, the Hwasong-10, when it exploded after traveling 600 miles.

"I am not sure why the Iranians are lying about the range," a US official told Fox News. "I think they don't want to piss the Europeans off."

President Donald Trump blasted Iran's alleged missile activity on Twitter, which came just days after he criticized the Iran nuclear deal: "Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea," Trump tweeted on Saturday. "Not much of an agreement we have!"

Although Iran was encouraged not to conduct ballistic missile tests in the UN Security Council's resolution, it was only "called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles" — a discrepancy that has allowed Iran to merely violate the spirit of the agreement when it conducts its ballistic missile tests. Since 2015, Iran has conducted over 20 missile tests.

The Iranians, however, claimed their tests were "solely defensive," as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivered a speech before the UN. "We never threaten anyone, but we do not tolerate threats from anyone," Rouhani said on Wednesday.

Rouhani also threatened to act "decisively and resolutely" if Trump pulled the US out of the deal, a decision that Trump teased has been "decided," but would not reveal what the decision is.NOW WATCH: The US conducted bombing drills with advanced warplanes as a 'direct response' to North Korea's missile launch over Japan

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