Local Editor

Iran is the world's "biggest state sponsor of terrorism," US War Secretary James Mattis claimed, warning that Tehran's actions are known to Washington and being watched closely.

"As far as Iran goes, this is the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world," Mattis said at a press conference in Tokyo on Saturday.

"I think it is wise to make certain that Iran recognizes that what it is doing is getting the attention of a lot of people," Mattis added.

"It does no good to ignore it. It does no good to dismiss it and at the same time I don't see any need to increase the number of forces we have in the Middle East at this time," he said.

"We always have the capability to do so but right now I don't think it's necessary."

Tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated after an unnamed US official said on Monday that Iran carried out a test launch of a medium-range ballistic missile that exploded after travelling 630 miles on Sunday. The official told Reuters that the test was carried out from a site near Semnan, east of Tehran.

"We're aware that Iran fired that missile," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said during a press briefing on Monday.

Iran also confirmed that it tested the missile, and that the launch was in line with its plans.

"The recent test was in line with our plans and we will not allow foreigners to interfere in our defense affairs," Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan told Tasnim news agency.

"The test did not violate the nuclear deal or [UN] Resolution 2231," he added.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team