LEAD: Iran tests missiles in Gulf

Jan 2, 2012, 11:19 GMT

Tehran - Iran tested two missiles Monday during navy manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf, near the international oil route through the Strait of Hormuz, and was due to test one more, state media reported.

Manoeuvre spokesman Admiral Mahmoud Moussavi told official news agency IRNA that they first tested the advanced Qader stealth cruise missile - the first successful trial of the ground-to-ship missile.

There have been contradictory reports about the range of the Qader missile, which some news agencies have called long-range and others defined as medium-range.

The Qader ('Capable') missile has so far been reported to have a standard range of 200 kilometres and can be deployed against sea targets, fired from the land or from sea platforms.

The Fars news agency, which is close to the revolutionary guards, confirmed a range of 200 kilometres, while state network IRIB and the news agencies IRNA and ISNA called Qader a long-range missile - a term usually applied to weapons with a range of more than 3,500 kilometres.

'The tested Qader missile has been upgraded,' Moussavi told news agency ISNA, without giving further details.

'The ultra-advanced and self-relying missile system has been considerably improved in radar, satellite, precision, range and navigation terms compared to its predecessors,' Moussavi also told IRIB.

The short-range Nassr missile was also tested successfully, while the Noor ground-to-ground missile was scheduled to be tested in the final stage of the military exercises, which Iran branded 'Phase of Power.'

The test took place amid a dispute with the United States over earlier threats by Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route.

'The enemies of Iran should know that the Iranian navy is powerful enough to cause panic for arrogant powers, but at the same time carries the message of peace and friendship,' Moussavi said, in what was considered a reference to the US.

The admiral further said that foreign observers from 'friend countries' were invited to view the missile tests, but refrained from saying which countries these were.

On Sunday, Moussavi said that Iran was not closing the Strait of Hormuz as previously threatened, but added, 'If our interests were jeopardized, then the interests of others (Gulf Arab states) would be jeopardized as well.'

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