Iran: We tested new naval weapon
AP & JPost – August 4, 2008
Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted the chief of the elite Revolutionary Guards as saying on Monday that Iran has tested a new marine weapon.
The commander, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said the new weapon was "unique in the world" and has a range of 300 kilometers, or 186 miles.
Monday's report provided no further details and didn't say when or where the weapon was tested. But it also quoted Jafari as saying there is "no similar weapon in the service of armies in the world."
In July, the Guards test fired missiles and torpedoes in the Persian Gulf, and Teheran claimed it tested a new Shahab missile with a range of 2,012 kilometers, or 1,250 miles.
The alleged new weapon's range indicates it may be some type of torpedo.
The announcement came two days after the deadline expired for an Iranian response to a package of initiatives offered by six world powers in the standoff over Teheran's nuclear ambitions.
The UN Security Council's five permanent members, plus Germany, on July 19 set Iran an informal two-week deadline to show it is willing to stop expanding its uranium enrichment program - at least temporarily - in exchange for their commitment to stop seeking new UN sanctions.
The UN Security Council has slapped three sets of sanctions on Iran over its enrichment and reprocessing of uranium, which can produce the ingredients for a bomb. Teheran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
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Last updated 06/08/2008