Reacting to the missile launch

Iran said today it had conducted a successful test of a new long-range missile.

Here’s the State Department reaction, from spokesman Ian Kelly:

We’re aware of these reports at a time when the international community has offered Iran opportunities to begin to build trust and confidence. These kinds of tests can only undermine Iran’s claims of peaceful intentions. I think that these kinds of actions will only increase the seriousness and resolve of the international community in our efforts to hold Iran accountable for its continued defiance of international obligations on its nuclear program.

Here’s U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the minority whip in the House:

The clock has been moved forward and the world’s largest state-sponsor of terrorism now is closer to having a deliverable nuclear weapon. Should that day come, global stability and efforts to combat nuclear proliferation will be permanently compromised.

The United States must not fall silent in the face of Iranian aggression and provocation, and we must lead the international community to impose sweeping sanctions against the Iranian economy until Iran changes course. On Tuesday Congress authorized the administration to sanction any international companies or individuals who sell or ship gasoline to Iran. We encourage the President to follow through on this authority immediately, and to unite the international community to implement a strong new round of sanctions against Iran.

And here’s U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee:

For a regime which claims that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, Iran sure is testing a lot of ballistic missiles.

Yesterday’s test of the Sejil-2 missile could represent a major breakthrough in Iran’s ability to target Israel and other U.S. allies in the Middle East and Europe.

Iranian missile advances are particularly disturbing given recent reports that Iran is also working on a nuclear trigger mechanism and the ability to fix a nuclear warhead to a missile.

Last night, the House of Representatives moved one step closer toward implementing crippling sanctions against the Iranian regime by adopting a bill targeting the regime’s dependence on refined petroleum imports.  However, as illustrated by Iran’s most recent provocative act, we must move faster.

With so much at stake, it is now time for the Senate to move quickly on Iran sanctions

For the record, Cantor also refers to reports on the trigger mechanism, but Kelly is agnostic and says the U.S. wants to know more.

After the Iraq war, count me with Kelly on this one — I’m wary of suspiciously probative documents that land on the desks of western spy agencies. I’m in wait and see mode on this one.