Iran test-fires a longer-range missile

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran test-fired dozens of missiles, including theShahab-3 that can reach Israel, in military maneuvers Thursday thatit said were aimed at putting a stop to the role of world powers inthe Persian Gulf region.

The show of strength came three days after U.S.-led warshipsfinished naval exercises in the Gulf that Iran branded as"adventurist." Iran remains locked in dispute with the West over itsnuclear program, which Washington says is geared to producing atomicweapons but Tehran says is only for generating electricity.

Asked about Thursday's maneuvers, Secretary of State CondoleezzaRice said she thought the Iranians "are trying to demonstrate thatthey are tough."

"The Iranians also I think are not unaware that the securityenvironment is one in which if they actually were to do somethingIran would suffer greatly and so I think they probably understandthat," Rice said on the Bill Cunningham radio show on WLWCincinnati.

"They are trying to say to the world you are not going to keep usfrom getting a nuclear weapon," she said. "The world has to say tothem, yes, we will."

Iranian state television reported that several kinds of missileswere tested, and broadcast footage of them being fired from mobilelaunchers.

"We want to show our deterrent and defensive power to trans-regional enemies, and we hope they will understand the message,"said the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi,said in a clear reference to the United States, Britain and France,who were among the six nations that took part in the Gulf maneuversthis week.

Iranian state radio said: "The maneuver is aimed at providingsecurity in the region without the intervention of trans-regionalpowers, which are trying to justify their presence by portraying theregion as convulsive."

In Israel, Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said hewas not surprised by the missile tests, and warned that to leaveIran unchecked would pose a risk to the world.

"Iran is following a direct line after North Korea. Thereforethis problem is not Israel's but that of the entire world," Ben-Eliezer said, referring to North Korea's recent nuclear test and itsfrequent launches of long-range missiles.

Iran's Shahab-3 missile, which can carrying a nuclear warhead andis believed to have a range of more than 1,240 miles, is believed tobe based on North Korea's Nodong missile. Iran is said to havefunded the Nodong's development.

Iran, which denies obtaining missile technology from North Korea,has been testing the Shahab-3, which means "shooting star" in Farsi,since the late 1990s and publicly paraded the rocket for the firsttime in 2003.

The Iranian missile tests "should bother not only Israel. Itshould bother the Arab countries, Islamic countries, the Gulfregion, North Africa and Europe. We are always warning the worldabout this phenomenon called Iran," Ben-Eliezer said.

Iran already has held three large-scale military exercises thisyear. It often uses maneuvers to test weapons developed by its armsindustry.

Safavi, whose elite Revolutionary Guards conducted the missiletests, said the maneuvers that began Thursday, named "GreatProphet," would take place in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and severalprovinces of Iran. He did not say how many troops were involved.

State radio quoted the air force chief of the RevolutionaryGuards, Gen. Hossein Salami, as saying: "A large number of advancedmissiles, different in range, warhead and kind, were successfullytest fired at the same time."

State TV reported that among the rockets fired was the Shahab-2,which has a warhead that can distribute 1,400 bomblets at the sametime. It also said the troops launched solid-fuel Zalzal missiles,guided missiles as well as Scud-B, Zolfaghar-73 and Z-3 rockets.

Iran has already held three large-scale military exercises thisyear. In its April exercises, Iran tested what it called an "ultra-horizon" missile, which is fired from helicopters and jet fighters,and the Fajr-3 missile, which can reportedly evade radar and usemultiple warheads to hit several targets simultaneously.

While U.S. officials have suggested that Iran is exaggerating thecapabilities of its newly developed weapons, Washington and itsallies have been watching the country's progress in missiletechnology with concern. Last December, Israel successfully testedits Arrow missile defense system against a rocket similar to Iran'sShahab-3. The Arrow was developed jointly with the United States.

The U.S.-led maneuvers that finished Monday focused onsurveillance, with warships tracking a ship suspected of carryingcomponents of illegal weapons. The nations that took part wereAustralia, Bahrain, Britain, France, Italy and the United States.

The U.N. Security Council is considered imposing sanctions onIran, which has ignored demands that it cease uranium enrichment, aprocess that can produce the fuel for nuclear reactors or materialfor bombs.

Iran test-fires a longer-range missile

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran test-fired dozens of missiles, including theShahab-3 that can reach Israel, in military maneuvers Thursday thatit said were aimed at putting a stop to the role of world powers inthe Persian Gulf region.

The show of strength came three days after U.S.-led warshipsfinished naval exercises in the Gulf that Iran branded as"adventurist." Iran remains locked in dispute with the West over itsnuclear program, which Washington says is geared to producing atomicweapons but Tehran says is only for generating electricity.

Asked about Thursday's maneuvers, Secretary of State CondoleezzaRice said she thought the Iranians "are trying to demonstrate thatthey are tough."

"The Iranians also I think are not unaware that the securityenvironment is one in which if they actually were to do somethingIran would suffer greatly and so I think they probably understandthat," Rice said on the Bill Cunningham radio show on WLWCincinnati.

"They are trying to say to the world you are not going to keep usfrom getting a nuclear weapon," she said. "The world has to say tothem, yes, we will."

Iranian state television reported that several kinds of missileswere tested, and broadcast footage of them being fired from mobilelaunchers.

"We want to show our deterrent and defensive power to trans-regional enemies, and we hope they will understand the message,"said the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi,said in a clear reference to the United States, Britain and France,who were among the six nations that took part in the Gulf maneuversthis week.

Iranian state radio said: "The maneuver is aimed at providingsecurity in the region without the intervention of trans-regionalpowers, which are trying to justify their presence by portraying theregion as convulsive."

In Israel, Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said hewas not surprised by the missile tests, and warned that to leaveIran unchecked would pose a risk to the world.

"Iran is following a direct line after North Korea. Thereforethis problem is not Israel's but that of the entire world," Ben-Eliezer said, referring to North Korea's recent nuclear test and itsfrequent launches of long-range missiles.

Iran's Shahab-3 missile, which can carrying a nuclear warhead andis believed to have a range of more than 1,240 miles, is believed tobe based on North Korea's Nodong missile. Iran is said to havefunded the Nodong's development.

Iran, which denies obtaining missile technology from North Korea,has been testing the Shahab-3, which means "shooting star" in Farsi,since the late 1990s and publicly paraded the rocket for the firsttime in 2003.

The Iranian missile tests "should bother not only Israel. Itshould bother the Arab countries, Islamic countries, the Gulfregion, North Africa and Europe. We are always warning the worldabout this phenomenon called Iran," Ben-Eliezer said.

Iran already has held three large-scale military exercises thisyear. It often uses maneuvers to test weapons developed by its armsindustry.

Safavi, whose elite Revolutionary Guards conducted the missiletests, said the maneuvers that began Thursday, named "GreatProphet," would take place in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and severalprovinces of Iran. He did not say how many troops were involved.

State radio quoted the air force chief of the RevolutionaryGuards, Gen. Hossein Salami, as saying: "A large number of advancedmissiles, different in range, warhead and kind, were successfullytest fired at the same time."

State TV reported that among the rockets fired was the Shahab-2,which has a warhead that can distribute 1,400 bomblets at the sametime. It also said the troops launched solid-fuel Zalzal missiles,guided missiles as well as Scud-B, Zolfaghar-73 and Z-3 rockets.

Iran has already held three large-scale military exercises thisyear. In its April exercises, Iran tested what it called an "ultra-horizon" missile, which is fired from helicopters and jet fighters,and the Fajr-3 missile, which can reportedly evade radar and usemultiple warheads to hit several targets simultaneously.

While U.S. officials have suggested that Iran is exaggerating thecapabilities of its newly developed weapons, Washington and itsallies have been watching the country's progress in missiletechnology with concern. Last December, Israel successfully testedits Arrow missile defense system against a rocket similar to Iran'sShahab-3. The Arrow was developed jointly with the United States.

The U.S.-led maneuvers that finished Monday focused onsurveillance, with warships tracking a ship suspected of carryingcomponents of illegal weapons. The nations that took part wereAustralia, Bahrain, Britain, France, Italy and the United States.

The U.N. Security Council is considered imposing sanctions onIran, which has ignored demands that it cease uranium enrichment, aprocess that can produce the fuel for nuclear reactors or materialfor bombs.