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Iran Tests Long-Range Missiles
Iran has test-fired two long-range missiles which defence analysts say are capable of hitting Israel or US bases in the Gulf region.
The state-sponsored Press TV news channel said that the Shahab 3 and Sejil missiles were fired on Monday, the second day of military exercises by Iran's Revolutionary Guard forces.
A long-range Shahab-3 missile is fired from an unspecified location in Iran. Iran on Monday test-fired long-range missiles it says could hit targets inside arch-foe Israel, as the defiant Revolutionary Guards staged war games amid tension with the West over Tehran's atomic drive. (AFP/FARS NEWS/Shaiegan)
Britain, France and the European Union all expressed their "concern" after the tests, which come just days before Tehran is due to meet the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, to discuss its nuclear programme.
"We call on Iran to choose the path of co-operation rather than confrontation, by immediately ceasing these deeply destabilising activities," a statement from the French foreign ministry said.
But Russia, which has repeatedly resisted attempts to increase sanctions against Iran over its nuclear enrichment work, urged calm from the negotiating powers.
"Now is not the time to succumb to emotions. It is necessary to calm down and, above all, to start up an effective negotiation process," the Interfax news agency quoted a Russian foreign ministry source as saying.
Increased tensions
Iranian officials have said the Shahab 3, which was last tested in mid-2008, and Sejil can both travel about 2,000km.
"Iranian missiles are able to target any place that threatens Iran," Abdollah Araqi, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.
Earlier on Monday, Iran test-fired Shahab 1 and Shahab 2 missiles capable of hitting targets between 300km and 700km away.
The missile tests come at a time of increased tension after last week's disclosure by Tehran that it is building a second uranium enrichment plant.
Alireza Ronaghi, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tehran, said: "There are two solutions about Iran: one would be sanctions and the other would be military action. So [with regard to] sanctions, Iran is trying to prove that sanctions have not worked on the uranium enrichment programme.
"And as far as the military option is concerned, Iran is showing off missiles trying to say that a military option is not going to be viable; it's not going to be a hit-and-run.
"Iran will retaliate and it will not just limit itself to the countries that have led those attacks; it will be a wide range retaliation. This is the message that Iran is sending."
Iran stages regular military manoeuvres in the Gulf, showcasing its long- and medium-range missiles as well as other weaponry.
'New context'
Theodore Karasik, a defence analyst based in Dubai, told Al Jazeera: "The range [of the missiles], of course, is critical and if they decide to fire the missiles, they would be able to hit various targets based on their selected need.
"The question becomes the accuracy of these missiles, and the earlier series of these Shahabs were notoriously inaccurate. In military parlance, that's called 'circular error probability'. This raises the issue of the sophistication of Shahab 3."
Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief, said that the missile tests placed the October 1 meeting over Iran's nuclear programme "in a new context".
Western powers, along with Israel, suspect Iran wants to use its nuclear technology to make weapons.
Following Friday's tests, Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian defence minister, had warned Israel against any attack on the Islamic republic.
"If this happens, which of course we do not foresee, its ultimate result would be that it expedites the Zionist regime's last breath," he said in an interview broadcast on state television.
Tehran insists its nuclear programme is aimed at generating electricity for civilian purposes.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
48 Comments so far
Show AllMy unsophisticated guess is that these missiles could not hit the broad side of a barn.
We know the last CIA assessment concluded there is no nuclear weapons program in Iran.
We know israel has about 200 nuclear warheads. Has the USA supplied them with reliable missiles?
Ronaghi's dichotomy is based on the false premise that Iran is a problem.
BDS the real problem, the genocidal zionists.
email the AP and ask if it stands for AiPak.
Israel shelled the AP's offices in Gaza during the last days of the Holocaust and the very next day, the cessation of the Holocaust, the AP ran it's story with not one but two pictures which had all of their background covered by the israeli flag.
What the Israelis did in Gaza is vile and a war crime, but it's not a Holocaust.Neither is Obama Hitler (or a socialist), and the US has not become a fascist country.It's time for people to consider the meaning of these terms, and not sling them around stupidly.The way they're used on CD by some people makes them almost meaningless.
True.
Holocaust is defined as "an act of mass destruction and loss of life (especially in war or by fire)." How does this not fit the Israeli slaughter in the Gaza Ghetto? I think it is apropos also to describe Israel's 60-year program of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians, which is a slow-motion holocaust.
Fascism is defined as:
A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
How does this not fit the U.S.?
Our president claims the right to jail indefinitely, without charges or trial, any person here or abroad. How is this not fascism?
Basically, what we in the U.S. have is an occasional public circus called "elections" (which are easily rigged) to convince us that we are free. Meanwhile, as we have seen as recently as the bailouts of the big financial interests as well as the no-insurance-company-left-behind "healthcare" proposals, the economic elite control our political system, our media, and our economic system.
And who could argue that we do not display belligerent nationalism and racism?
How is the U.S. not fascist?
nice, take no prisoners petr!
Thanks, vernn!
Israel has the missiles, an adaptation of the US Harpoon. see http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1012-02.htm One of those subs, presumably armed with nukes, sailed south through the Suez a while back. (Israel has clearly threatened Egypt with attack, given this and Egypt's behavior on the border with Gaza.)
Thanks to GPS, unless there is sufficiently sophisticated jamming, the guidance problem is trivial. Nuclear weapons mean you don't have to hit any side of the barn, except in very limited circumstances. Not all the top Iranian scientists have left the country.
The US-UK-Israel axis have ordered Iran to develop nuclear weapons capability to deter an attack by that axis.
As long as we inspect for nukes, I will feel safe that Iran won't break the peace.
I believe the U.S. has defenses against missiles anyway!
So even if Iran sent a bomb up, chances are it will be shot down in their county.
No you are not going to win a battle against the U.S..
However the arms market is booming. These countries are playing into their hands. We are just looking for a target to bomb, so when they buy too many arms we come along and destroy them.
Then they have to buy more, isn't this a fun game!!
the patriot anti-missle system has never shot down and destroyed a real missle. not one, not ever.
"Interviewed by The Fifth Estate, Arens said he told Bush that, at best, the Patriots had intercepted 20 percent of the Scuds, a figure that soon turned out to be generous. Bush was desperate to forestall the Israeli threat, which could have inflamed the Middle East. He called in Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Richard Cheney, who insisted that the US military had reliable evidence of its “100 percent” hit rate.
But by the time the 40-day war ended, 39 Iraqi Scuds had struck Israeli territory, killing two people and wounding hundreds, despite constant fire from US-operated Patriot batteries near Tel Aviv. American soldiers also became victims of the Patriot cover-up. In the most serious incident, 28 were killed when a Scud missile hit a barracks in Saudi Arabia.
Conducting their own investigations, the Israelis quickly established that the Patriot missiles had probably failed to knock out a single Scud. "
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/feb2003/cbc-f07.shtml
Bill I am greatly surprised that anyone who reads CD, even such as it is, perceives the slightest danger from a country with no nukes and no ICBMs.
What part of the propaganda do you believe?
I am trying not to criticize you but I am truely shocked.
Neither the USA nor israel have any peace to break because they are both aggressor nations, unlike Iran, who have eternal wars of imperialism.
Did you miss the war between Iraq and Iran?
Henry8--Did you miss the "google" search box on your computer screen?
Try this link:
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580640/iran-iraq_war.html
The Iraq-Iran war " began when IRAQ INVADED Iran in September 1980 and ended in August 1988 after both sides accepted a cease-fire sponsored by the United Nations (UN). The war was one of the longest and most destructive of the 20th century, with likely more than one million casualties. Despite the conflict's length and cost, neither Iran nor Iraq made significant territorial or political gains, and the fundamental issues dividing the countries remained unresolved at the end of the war."
You can then go on to discover that the U.S. backed Iraq in this invasion, in order to keep Iran weak.
Iran has not invaded another country for more than 300 years, unlike the U.S. and Israel. As you would know if you'd take advantage of the research tools easily available on the internet.
It would appear as if this is Iran's next move in the current game after Obama, Brown, & Sarkozy's press conference.
I believe that the USA and most of its allies, in conjunction with the Israelis have put themselves in a most precarious situation that they cannot possibly hope to extricate themselves from and still keep the respect of the rest of the world or what little of it they have.
The Iranians are playing an old game, and one that the USA/Israel have played into. The former has 'kept secret' their "Nucs" development programs, under the very noses of the Israeli and US intelligence 'professionals' who should have known.
While at the same time Israel has been committing atrocities that compare with the Nazi and US war crimes, that both claim to denounce. The USA has after Vietnam and then Iraq and Afghanistan shown that they cannot win wars they go to great lengths to start, even with the most advanced weapons in the world. Take these factors into consideration along with the US economic collapse and there is a distinct possibility that the 'final show down' will be a disaster for the USA; and the end for Israel.
The Israelis will most likely make an argument that they are 'in danger' and make the first strike--which will feed the Muslim worlds need for Jihad (a war of defense of Islam) then when this is accomplished the Islamic world's reaction will be one of total oblivion for Israel. The USA being in no position to offer much aid, will be powerless to keep their 'monkey on a leash' safe and will have no other choice but to watch it all on 'CNN'.
At the same time, the 'religious right' (the majority of which are members of the most heavily armed civilian population in 'world history') will then have the 'signal from the Lord' they think they need to 'take over the 'godless' US Government for "Jesus' Return" (any day now). This will most likely seal the fate of the USA, making the civil war of the 19Th century look like a 'picnic in the park'.
This would assure the world that the two currently leading forces for the continuation of war and destruction the USA and Israel will not longer exist; no longer present a threat, no longer be a'force to be reckoned with'.
And they will have brought it down upon themselves, by their own hands.
Correct me if I am wrong but Pakistan is the only Nuke armed muslim nation. I do not believe Pakistan's missiles reach Israel.
Thus with 200 deliverable warheads no Muslim country can outgun israel.
Last I heard israel has a nuke sub and destroyer right off Iran's coast.
Please read the excellent scenarios written by a ex USA general as to war between USA, Japan and Britian and China , Russia and Iran economic and military, USA does not have a chance posted here yesterday from ASIANTIMES on line.
Either the USA or Israelis likely to make the first strike but if Russia and China retaliate we will not have to be concerned with carbon emmissions any longer.
How dare they have a military. It is provocative!
If Iran REALLY wants peace they should disband all their Military and stop spending 1 billion a year on it.
How can a nation that truly wants peace spend 1 billion a year on arms?
For the safety of the entire world Israel should open its nuclear weapns sites to international inspections just like Iran. They should be forced to sign the Non-nuclear proliferaton treaty and sign on wth the IAEA, like Iran.
Until the US demands that inspections of Israel's secret nuclear facilities, I see no reason why Israel should not subject to the same sanctions and international pressure as Iran is getting. There is a far greater risk of Israel’s undeclared, unaccountable nuclear WMD`s falling into `terrorists hands`.
I agree with Zbigniew Brzezinski when he suggested President Obama should make it clear to Israel that if they attempt to attack Iran's nuclear weapons sites the U.S. Air Force will stop them.
I suggest Mr. Obama take Mr Brzezinski’s advice before we are once again drawn into an unnecessary conflict to protect a recognized apartheid and racist state guilty of war crimes.
"President Obama should make it clear to Israel that if they attempt to attack Iran's nuclear weapons sites the U.S. Air Force will stop them"
Wishful thinking...
Remember a long time ago Irak ahd a nuclear program (for real at that time) and Israel terminated it with a raid on the Osirak reactor? There was the token international indignation for a while but behind the scenes everyone was happy.
Same thing gonna happen now. Once Israel perceives Iran as a threat it will take care of business swiftly and without too much hoopla. There's gonna be the politically correct indignation at the UN and that's gonna be the end of it.
For the sake of the entire world, Israel needs to be isolated. The USA, and all of the European Countries that currently have political/economic ties to Israel need to sever those ties. This cancer of a nation must be isolated as the criminal nation it is. (This comment is in no way an endorsement of current U.S. policy anywhere!)
Remember on August 23rd when the US tested an actual long-range missile, the Minuteman III ICBM?
What's that? You don't remember? That's because you didn't hear about it in the media. Double standards all around.
Good for Iran, a country that has not invaded another country for more than 300 years.
I hope that Iran's long-range missiles are accurate, and I hope Iran has lots of them, since being well armed, and having those arms well hidden and distributed, is the only defense against U.S./ Israeli aggression.
Iran has never sworn to wipe ISRAELIS from the face of the earth. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did say that ISRAEL should be "wiped off the face of the earth."
Israel is an apartheid, rogue nation, exempt (through U.S. backing) from international law. It's no surprise that many people wish the country of apartheid Israel would disappear. But that's not the same as swearing to wipe ISRAELIS from the face of the earth.
Apartheid South Africa disappeared from the face of the earth; why not apartheid Israel?
petrkrop September 28th, 2009 3:30 pm
"Ahmadinejad did say that ISRAEL should be "wiped off the face of the earth"
that is a bit of a mis-quote
The version of the October 26 2005 speech put out by the Middle East Media Research Institute, based on the Farsi text released by the official Iranian Students News Agency, says: "This regime that is occupying Qods [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history."
full discussion here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/jun/14/post155
Actually, it was far less threatening than that. I beleive he said, "as Khomeni said, and like the former Soviet Union, the regime that occupies Jerusalem will someday vanish from the pages of history."
Thank you, pjd412, for the excellent clarification.
Thank you for clarifying this quote.
It is absolutely amazing that there are people here that think the Iran is just some inoffensive little country that has no aspirations, no aims to dominate in the middle east.
You should speak to Iranians inside the country, those in jail for speaking out, or demanding the freedoms so many here take for granted, or taking to the streets. The women that are abused and murdered in this gentle state. Look up the pictures of the folks that took to the streets there before commenting on the "brutality" of our police. Ideology is for fools. Ideological cant is spoken by fools.
Iran has nothing to fear from the US, but if she develops a nuculear weapon or even looks as if she will the Israeli will attack. Take that to the bank. They are not fools to believe Iran means them no harm.
When Iran swears to wipe them from the face of the earth, they believe them.
"Look up the pictures of the folks that took to the streets there before commenting on the "brutality" of our police. "
Ah yes. When the Iranians do it, it is police brutality. But, when Americans do it, it is "brutality. Talk about ideological cant.
"Ideology is for fools. Ideological cant is spoken by fools."
Like your beloved teabaggers?
who is threatening whom here? Israel is the one that is threatening anyone and everyone in its neighbourhood. When are you going to condemn them? When are you going to question Israeli nukes and other WMDs? Iran is well within its right under the treaty to develop nuclear facilities for commercial use. If you are going to question Iran, I suggest you question India, Brazil and other nations that have civil nuke facilities. You show your hypocrisy here. And you buy into Zionist propaganda too easily.
who is threatening whom here? Israel is the one that is threatening anyone and everyone in its neighbourhood. When are you going to condemn them? When are you going to question Israeli nukes and other WMDs? Iran is well within its right under the treaty to develop nuclear facilities for commercial use. If you are going to question Iran, I suggest you question India, Brazil and other nations that have civil nuke facilities. You show your hypocrisy here. And you buy into Zionist propaganda too easily.
who is threatening whom here? Israel is the one that is threatening anyone and everyone in its neighbourhood. When are you going to condemn them? When are you going to question Israeli nukes and other WMDs? Iran is well within its right under the treaty to develop nuclear facilities for commercial use. If you are going to question Iran, I suggest you question India, Brazil and other nations that have civil nuke facilities. You show your hypocrisy here. And you buy into Zionist propaganda too easily.
who is threatening whom here? Israel is the one that is threatening anyone and everyone in its neighbourhood. When are you going to condemn them? When are you going to question Israeli nukes and other WMDs? Iran is well within its right under the treaty to develop nuclear facilities for commercial use. If you are going to question Iran, I suggest you question India, Brazil and other nations that have civil nuke facilities. You show your hypocrisy here. And you buy into Zionist propaganda too easily.
Henry,
What does the way that internal dissent is treated have _anything_ to do with Iranian foreign and military policy??? You can be sure that the dissenters and their former candidate Mousavi also support a militarily strong Iran that can defend itself. If they don't, then surely you would agree that the accusations of treason leveled at them are well-founded.
And what Ahmadinejad actually said was: "As Khomeni said, and like the former Soviet Union, the regime that occupies Jerusalem will someday vanish from the pages of history." That doesn't sound very threatening to me.
Imagine this will be new military clamor for STAR WARS???
hmmm....
"According to all myth, the female - not the male -- gives life"
d
Conservatives will kill us all.
Doncha suspect that Ahmadinejad is encouraging his gov't to fire these missiles, hoping for a strike from the U.S. or Israel to boost his personal internal support, since the people always rally behind their leaders, no matter how bad they are?
From Wikipedia:
"The President of Iran (Ahmadinejad) is the highest official elected by direct popular vote, but does not control foreign policy or the armed forces." So this guy is ALL HOT AIR and BLUFF.....does that sound familiar....for 8 years we had a similar buffoon running his mouth off here.....and HE had control of EVERYTHING.....
None of this really matters anyway.
What matters is the red herring that has been placed in the minds of the people. According to a recent CNN poll, 88% of those polled believe that Iran's nuclear program for military use.
It's a 1,2,3 plan and (unbelievably) works every time.
Step 1: Come up with some BS story to scare people.
***Afghanistan attacked us on 9/11. Iraq has stockpiles of WMD. Iran is developing nuclear weapons.
Step 2: Put a face to the enemy and tell everyone he's the bad guy and he's "EVIL". Bin Laden in Afghanistan, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Ahmadinejad in Iran.
Step 3: Change the entire story so it's really all about bringing "freedom" to the people you just bombed. Also it's about "Keeping America Free" somehow too.
This is an endless loop and lots of people are buying in to it. It's truly sad that so many people in this country are that stupid.
Yep. It is time for everyone to wake up from the nightmares. The documentary "The power of nightmares" had it right.
CNN last Friday used the headline "Iran's Secret Nukes" for the secret site story
Faux News last Friday one upped them using "Atomic Bombshell" for the same story
Iran is testing short range and medium range missiles - so what! Iran wants to have nuclear generated electricity, which they are entitled to have and I understand completely their reasons for wanting it.
Iran has done NOTHING wrong - they have abided by the terms of the NPT and are naturally upset when someone (us) wants to change the rules or terms of the agreement of which Iran is a signatory with respect to the enrichment of uranium. In announcing the "new" facility they followed the rule exactly as required of them - no smoking gun here folks, not unless you want it to be a smoking gun.
Do I like the Iranian regime - of course not. I don't like remarkably false translations of Persian into English (very difficult to do properly, syntax and nuance being what they are). I don't like blatantly false propaganda either. My goodness, how short our memories are, has the time period of mid 2002 until Mar 19 2003 faded from memory already?
Zionist propaganda has long been directed in orchestrating a war against Islam , first with Iraq and now with Iran.
The fact that dual loyalty neocons have achieved and still retain high rank in the US Administration is sick and a shame on America.
Is America insane ???
With a fresh foreclosure every few seconds , a rising number of unemployed, and poor, and dispossessed together with the mounting costs of the "war on Islam".
President Ahmadinejad responding to the blatant Holocaust Promotion by Israel and the USA has pushed the envelope on the Jewish holocaust, never actually denying it but the USA and the World are worse in ignoring the Iraq and Afghanistan Holocausts ...
The Iraq Holocaust 1990 - 2009 with 3 Million deaths the creation of 4 Million Orphans , over 2 Million displaced people Iraq and 4 Million Refugees , Depleted Uranium and Cluster Bombs left to further promote the nightmare..
The Afghanistan Holocaust has caused over 2 Million deaths and 5 Million refugees with the silent death reining from these American ''drones'' on innocent families asleep in their homes etc etc .
Now the US and Israel are active in clear, unequivocal and horrifying Holocaust Promotion with obscene threats of a pre-emptive Nuclear attack on non Nuclear Iran.
The neocon propaganda as with Iraq now is widespread again and this Zionist propaganda is successfully being exploited by the usual suspects together with the MSM to get the American Public ready for ''perpetual War against Islam''.
Islam only just about 23 % of the Worlds Population.
Benjamin Netanyahu ----"Once we squeeze all we can out of the United States, it can dry up and blow away".
"Is America insane?"
Not exactly, just heavily medicated!
"Zionist propaganda has long been directed in orchestrating a war against Islam , first with Iraq and now with Iran."
Iraq was the most secular state in the ME before the US invasion and occupation.
attacking places that attack iran is not really significant in its own effectiveness. remember that saddam's attack on israeli cities had no impact on the outcome of the second gulf war. what is significant in iran's threat is that the new generations of missles, with short to medium to long range, will allow the iranian regime to block the oil tanker from sailing in and out of the gulf by launching them from areas of its choice. iraq didn't have that capability.the long range of iran missles, especially, gives iran the choice to use them to sink and or disrupt the movements of oil tanker by launching them from far distances to the waterways. and because of the large geographic area of iran(it is about 4 to 5 times that of iraq) monitoring and incapacitating these missles will be almost impossible. this factor aloan gives iran a latitude of harming international commerce on a scale that iraq couldn't do.
The question must be when will the Iranian threat be sufficient for Iran and the US to negotiate the elimination of the Israeli nuclear and other WMD threat against Iran, Syria, Lebanon, without consultation with Israeli administration, just as Israel and America can negotiate away the rights of Palestinians without their two cents worth.
The point that everybody seems to forget is that it is Iran, not Israel or the USA offering A NUCLEAR WEAPONS FREE MIDDLE EAST, how much more non-proliferatory can a nation be. But unfortunately that does not suit those who feel licensed to proliferate WMD.
Enough propaganda and hyperbola, to any thinking person (except Henry 8 it seems)the present position of 5 plus 1 is not only irrational but as threatening to global security as the insane demands on Hussein to disprove a contrived assumption which lead to the Iraq aggression, war crimes of the “willing” and a fabricated humanitarian disaster.
Who am I scared of? Simple, just look at how many fabricated economic disasters have been turned around for bankers by well orchestrated wars and post war recovery? It also tends to reduce the demands of the populations from jobs and housing to just staying alive. The masses are much easier to manage that way, you now!
Imagine that we have to thank Russia and China right now, without whom we would be following Zionist apologists like Brown, Sarkozy or Merkel to the gates of hell. Forget the fortitude of Obama, like Penocchio, his nose grows, he can dance and he doesn’t even need the strings any more, but we know who his master is.
It's sad when I have to hear the war drums beat at Common Dreams. Please let's leave Muslim bashing War drums for AIPAC's bought and paid for Congress/Senate and disgusting MSM. Jeez...