Iran's ballistic missiles: bone of contention with West

Iran's ballistic missile programme has poisoned relations between Tehran and Western powers for years but for the Islamic republic the issue is staunchly non-negotiable.

A recent report by London's International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) says Iran is developing a dozen ballistic missiles that can fly up to 2,000km and deliver a 450-1,200kg payload.

Since 2006, the UN Security Council has adopted several coercive resolutions aimed at preventing any bid by Iran to develop a missile programme that could deliver nuclear weapons, although this goal has always been denied by Tehran.

The sanctions were suspended in July 2015 when the Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 2231 to endorse the hard-won nuclear deal struck days earlier between Iran and six world powers.

President Donald Trump is due to announce on 8 May whether the US will remain in the deal that lifted international sanctions in exchange for curbs to Iran's nuclear programme.

Trump insists the deal, also signed by France, Britain, China, Germany and Russia, was 'very badly negotiated' by the previous administration of Barack Obama and fails to address Iran's ballistic missile programme and regional interventions.

European leaders have pleaded with Trump not to withdraw from the deal, with France proposing new negotiations with Iran, although Tehran has refused to make any modifications to the agreement.