AFP – July 9, 2008
Iran on Wednesday test-fired its Shahab-3 missile, whose longer range puts Israel within reach, amid growing fears that the standoff over the contested Iranian nuclear drive could lead to war.
The Shahab-3 was among a broadside of nine missiles fired off in the early morning from an undisclosed location in the Iranian desert, state-run Arabic channel Al-Alam and its
English counterpart Press-TV reported .
Al-Alam said the missiles test-fired by the elite Revolutionary Guards included a "Shahab-3 with a conventional warhead weighing one tonne and a 2,000-kilometre (1,240-mile) range."
The firing comes at a time of growing tensions over Tehran's nuclear drive, which the West fears could be aimed at making an atomic bomb. The United States has never ruled out military action against Iranian atomic facilities.
The White House on Wednesday denounced the test and warned the Islamic republic to abandon its ballistic missile programme immediately.
"The aim of these war games is to show we are ready to defend the integrity of the Iranian nation," Al-Alam quoted Revolutionary Guards air force commander Hossein Salami as saying.
"Our missiles are ready for shooting at any place and any time, quickly and with accuracy. The enemy must not repeat its mistakes. The enemy targets are under surveillance," he added.
Nine missiles were tested in all, state-run Press-TV reported.
Along with the Shahab-3, also test-fired were the Zelzal, with a range of up to 400 kilometres (250 miles), and the Fateh which has a range of around 170 kilometres (100 miles).
Press-TV showed footage of the Shahab-3 and other missiles being launched, apparently successfully, leaving huge clouds of smoke around the launch site.
The Islamic republic test-fired the Shahab-3 for the first time in an exercise in November 2006, but launching its longest-range weapon amid the current tension is sure to concern Iran's Western foes.
The United States and its top regional ally Israel have never ruled out attacking Iran over its nuclear ambitions, and concerns over a regional conflict have driven crude oil prices to record highs.
There has been concern that an attack against Iran could be imminent after it emerged Israel had carried out manoeuvres in Greece that were effectively practice runs for a potential strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
The firing comes a day after an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Iran would "set fire" to Israel and the US navy in the Gulf as its first response to any American attack over its nuclear programme.
"Tel Aviv and the US fleet in the Persian Gulf would be the targets that would be set on fire in Iran's crushing response," said Ali Shirazi, a mid-ranking cleric who is Khamenei's representative to the naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards.
Wednesday's launch was part of The Great Prophet III war games by the missile and naval sections of the Revolutionary Guards which are aimed at improving combat readiness.
US and British warships on Tuesday also completed a five-day exercise aimed at rehearsing protection of oil installations in the Gulf, the Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet said.
However diplomatic efforts are also continuing. Iran has responded to an offer from world powers to end the nuclear crisis and diplomats are analysing what is said to be a complex answer from Tehran.
The offer from world powers proposes that Iran suspend uranium enrichment -- the key sticking point in the crisis and the process which they fear could be used to make a nuclear weapon -- in exchange for technological incentives.
However the French foreign ministry has confirmed that Iran does not say in its response it is prepared to suspend uranium enrichment. Iranian leaders have repeatedly vowed never to suspend sensitive nuclear activities.
Iran rejects Western accusations and insists its nuclear programme is aimed solely at generating energy for a growing population whose fossil fuel reserves will eventually run out.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hv7wcdoKUGgW4xWhOkEwBofaK1zg
Last updated 10/07/2008
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