"This step by the United States could lead to an arms race on the global level, which, apart from further destabilizing and threatening peace and the international security, will force other countries to shoulder high economic costs," Mousavi stated.
On August 18, the United States launched a cruise missile, previously banned by the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
The United States withdrew from the INF Treaty on August 2, citing alleged Russian violations of the treaty as an excuse, along with the reluctance of other countries, including China, to join it.
The US decision caused considerable criticism from Russia and other countries. Moscow suspended its own participation in the pact in July.
The INF Treaty, signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987, banned all short-medium (310–620 miles) and intermediate (620–3,420 miles) range ground-launched missiles.
