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The four missile version of an image posted on the Sepah News Website Wednesday, in which the areas circled in red appear to replicate other sections, encircled in orange. (AFP)
Last update - 06:49 11/07/2008
Did Iran doctor an image of its missile test launch?
By Haaretz Service
Tags: doctored photo, missile, Iran

After Iran's provocative missile test launch on Wednesday, in which the Islamic republic test fired missiles it said could hit Israel, an image surfaced in all the major media outlets, depicting four missiles being fired simultaneously.

However, the French news agency Agence France-Presse, which originally obtained the image from the Sepah News Web site owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday, later retracted the photo and replaced it with an image containing only three missiles.

The Associated Press also distributed a photo on Thursday that appeared to be almost identical to the one displaying four missiles, without the fourth missile.
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In a copy of the AFP advisory obtained by Haaretz, the French organization reported that "a defense analyst said that Iran had apparently doctored photographs of missile test-firings and exaggerated the capabilities of the weapons," adding that the fourth missile was apparently added to cover up a failed launch.

The news agency went on to say that the fourth missile had apparently been created using elements from the smoke trail and dust clouds from two of the other missiles.

After being shown the photograph by AFP, Mark Fitzpatrick of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said "it very much does appear that Iran doctored the photo to cover up what apparently was a misfiring of one of the missiles."

"The whole purpose of this testing was to send a signal so Iran both exaggerated the capabilities of the missile in their prose and apparently doctored the photos as well."

AFP also said that several photography experts agreed that the image had been manipulated.

"It's a doctored image," said Gerard Issert, a technician at Granon, one of the largest photo laboratories in Paris, AFP reported.

"Although the missiles weren't all equidistant from the camera, they're the same size in the picture," Issert told AFP in the southern French city of Arles.

Iran defiantly test launched a second round of missiles in the Persian Gulf overnight Thursday. Wednesday's missile display prompted the United States to declare that it would defend its allies at all costs.

Meanwhile, Israel said Thursday it would exhibit an advanced aircraft capable of spying on Iran.

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      1.   VANISHED LIKE THE 12TH IMAM 19:04  |  Iskander 10/07/08
      2.   If one think better 19:06  |  Keops 10/07/08
      3.   Hahaha how typical from Iranians... 19:15  |  Danny 10/07/08
      4.   Paper Tiger 19:26  |  Oddvark 10/07/08
      5.   # 4, Paper tiger, huh? 19:38  |  Tim 10/07/08
      6.   Waiting for Mark Lincoln! 19:50  |  S 10/07/08
      7.   Told you yesterday, it is all typical ME/Arab posturing and 20:04  |  Pervert 10/07/08
      8.   Waiting for Chris Linthwaite 20:14  |  Free Gilad Shalit 10/07/08
      9.   OF COURSE, ALL OF YOU ARE RIGHT 20:17  |  Mohamed MALLECK 10/07/08
      10.   Iran couldn`t hit the broad side of a oil tanker with that 20:40  |  Superfox 10/07/08
      11.   Paper Tim 20:42  |  Oddvark 10/07/08
      12.   Tim and Hezbullah 20:46  |  Oddvark 10/07/08
      13.   #9, as long as they are shiites 20:48  |  j-dog 10/07/08
      14.   Tim in NYC 20:48  |  rich 10/07/08
      15.   HAHAHA BUSTED 20:51  |  Nephtaly 10/07/08
      16.   Great cost cutting method 21:00  |  Rob 10/07/08
      17.   Keep on wishing:) 21:06  |  Zico 10/07/08
      18.   Who 21:07  |  Mickey 10/07/08
      19.   can you get much lower please ? :) 21:18  |  Ali 10/07/08
      20.   Let`s photoshop a map of Tel Aviv 21:26  |  howaboutthis 10/07/08
      21.   AFP had no right to change photo 21:26  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 10/07/08
      22.   No need to attack Iran after all 21:28  |  Natallie Durson 10/07/08
      23.   NICE ENTERTAINMENT IRAN 21:30  |  Lex Luthor 10/07/08
      24.   Haaaa O This is getting funnier and funnier as we go along! 21:35  |  Gil 10/07/08
      25.   Haaaa O This is getting funnier and funnier as we go along! 21:35  |  Gil 10/07/08
      26.   What up J-Dog 21:37  |  True 10/07/08
      27.   Oddvark-What about the US? 21:38  |  US Sissy 10/07/08
      28.   Doesn`t change things much 21:40  |  Colin Wright 10/07/08
      29.   re #10 `Iran couldn`t hit the broad side of a oil tanker with tha 21:41  |  Colin Wright 10/07/08
      30.   Excellent news: Iran will not get the bomb 21:46  |  Realist 10/07/08
      31.   what`s the big deal with missiles going loose? 21:49  |  ruholah sharmutzadeh 10/07/08
      32.   This whole culture is based 22:08  |  TOMY 10/07/08
      33.   tinpot nation about to get a rude awakening 22:19  |  don 10/07/08
      34.   The Chanalau Phenomenon is the biggest liar in Middle East 22:31  |  Genuine Tosefta 10/07/08
      35.   Haaaa O This is getting funnier and funnier as we go along! 22:35  |  Gil 10/07/08
      36.   If it was altered and Iran isnt all that mighty... 22:35  |  ramin 10/07/08
      37.   Image was doctored but not by Iranians 22:35  |  ID 10/07/08
      38.   History repeats itself 22:37  |  Rafterman 10/07/08
      39.   Why all the fuss then... 22:42  |  Fedup 10/07/08
      40.   Silly Iranians Got Comic Ali on the Payroll 22:45  |  Slappy 10/07/08
      41.   No wonder that Barak is "not afraid" to take action 22:58  |  Realist 10/07/08
      42.   The Fiddlers are now Artists. Fiddlerwood. 23:01  |  Stephen. 10/07/08
      43.   American Satellite and Radar 23:31  |  Persian Hero 10/07/08
      44.   Not to mention the Elvis-shaped cloud 23:43  |  Paul Freedman 10/07/08
      45.   Wizard of ID 23:45  |  Rafterman 10/07/08
      46.   Priceless 00:03  |  Johnny 11/07/08
      47.   IRAN and David Blaine! 00:56  |  Erik 11/07/08
      48.   Provocation: more rotten politics 00:59  |  Jim 11/07/08
      49.   LooooooooL 01:08  |  ScotGuy 11/07/08
      50.   Just goes to show 01:23  |  Mark 11/07/08
      51.   Natalie Durson 01:29  |  David 11/07/08
      52.   to #9 02:35  |  yitz 11/07/08
      53.   1.5 billion muslims morphing? oh really Mohamud! 02:45  |  avi 11/07/08
      54.   Forget the Nukes 02:53  |  Baz Mann 11/07/08
      55.   Let them all doctor photos 03:08  |  Bernie 11/07/08
      56.   Plan 9 From Outer Space has better effects 03:11  |  Ed Wood 11/07/08
      57.   What appears to be the original picture 04:49  |  Colin Wright 11/07/08
      58.   Making it seem less then it is 05:09  |  Guy From NYC 11/07/08
      59.   Hey hey 05:42  |  Lillian 11/07/08
      60.   Iran is loving how Americans are eating up their failed rockets. 06:53  |  Josh 11/07/08
      61.   SO WHAT? 08:08  |  indrajaya 11/07/08
      62.   Yes Tim, just like Hezbo who lost 700 and targeted civilians 08:25  |  Dan 11/07/08
      63.   Iran is going to produce the special effects for Shrek IV movie 08:31  |  Dan 11/07/08
      64.   Natallie - #22 09:00  |  Michael 11/07/08
      65.   Cipora #21 Boy are you right!!! 09:20  |  S 11/07/08
      66.   Natallie Durson #22 Uterly wrong! 09:23  |  S 11/07/08
      67.   DURSON then there is no need for Iran to develop nukes 09:39  |  PETER SM 11/07/08
      68.   Is this a poker game 10:05  |  Raphael David 11/07/08
      69.   Mohamed in Canada 10:30  |  Gregor 11/07/08
      70.   Doctored missile test? 10:34  |  David Nigel Braham 11/07/08