Middle East News
Iran says new missile for defensive purposes only
Nov 17, 2008, 6:39 GMT
Tehran - Iran said Monday that its new ground-to-ground missile was purely defensive and posed no threat to any country.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards last week successfully tested the new generation of Sejil-type missiles, the government said.
'Our missile potential in general and the new missile in particular are just for defensive and preventive purposes and no threat to any country,' Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi told reporters in Tehran.
'But whenever we make such tests, there are various reactions which are however irrelevant,' he said in dismissing concerns voiced in some Western countries.
The military launched an upgraded version of the Shahab-3 missile in July, which reportedly has a range of up to 2,000 kilometres and is capable of reaching targets in Israel and Persian Gulf-based US warships.
Some Western military analysts doubt Tehran's claims of progress in missile development, saying it released doctored photographs in the past and noting that it does not yet have the necessary warheads.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
To Mark Montgomery, If isreal touches iran soil, it will be raze to ground and same will be happen to england if they do it. isreal knows this fact perfectly, This is why they talk about attack in last 8 years but they do not do anything. They just bark and do not bite, so wake up man, maybe a cold glass of water with ice can help.
page: 1
Mark MontgomeryNov 17th, 2008 - 07:19:15
Iran denies that their missles are for offensive purposes but they race headlong into developing nuclear weapons and they consitently reiterate their belief that Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth. It is time for Israel to act: go in and take out Iran's command & control facilities, then take out all the missle sites, then go to their 3 nuclear sites and carpet bomb each until they are unusable rubble. If Iran tries to rebuild, do it again. boboberg@nyc.rr.com
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