After Secretary Pompeo accused Iran of violating UN restrictions by test-firing a ballistic missile, Foreign Minister Zarif opined that "'surrealism' is now the U.S.' modus operandi in its foreign affairs", going on to claim that Washington was in fact the one in breach of the resolution. In related remarks, a senior Iranian military official declared that "Iran's missile defence and defence capabilities are of a deterrent nature, and this will continue, which means we will continue to test and develop missiles... we warn that if the Americans and their allies in the region make any strategic mistakes, the Islamic Republic would give such a strong slap that they will regret it forever".