The UN Security Council scheduled urgent consultations on an Iranian ballistic missile test at the request of the United States. The US Mission to the United Nations said it wanted the UN's most powerful body to discuss Sunday's launch of a medium-range missile. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said earlier that he did not know the "exact nature" of the test and expected to have more information later. A defense official said the missile test ended with a "failed" re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. The official had no other details, including the type of missile. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. Iran is the subject of a United Nations Security Council resolution prohibiting tests of ballistic missiles designed to deliver a nuclear warhead. As part of the 2015 nuclear deal, the UN ban was prolonged by eight years, although Iran has flaunted the restriction. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the US was looking into whether the ballistic missile test violates the US Security Council resolution. "When actions are taken that violate or are inconsistent with the resolution, we will act to hold Iran accountable and urge other countries to do so as well," Toner said. Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned Iran for the missile test. "No longer will Iran be given a pass for its repeated ballistic missile violations, continued support of terrorism, human rights abuses and other hostile activities that threaten international peace and security," Corker, a Republican from Tennessee, said in a written statement. News of the latest test comes as French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault arrived in the Iranian capital for a two-day visit. Ayrault vowed that France would act as defender of Iran's nuclear deal, saying it was in the "common interest" that the 2015 accord was obeyed. Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for lifted sanctions. He said that while Iran had "largely" honored the deal's terms, it had tested the spirit of the accord over the past year by carrying out several ballistic missile tests.
