Iran test fires long-range missiles capable of striking Israel, U.S. bases
On second day of war games, the Islamic Republic fired 14 missiles in an exercise intended to 'show preparedness' for Israeli or American attack.
By Reuters Tags: Iran nuclear Iran threat Iran USIran's Revolutionary Guards tested 14 missiles on Tuesday, the second day of war games intended a show of strength to the Islamic Republic's enemies in Israel and Washington.
The Iranian-made surface-to-surface missiles, with a maximum range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), were fired simultaneously at a single target, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division emphasized Iran's preparedness to strike Israel and U.S. interests in the event of any attack on Iran.
"The range of our missiles has been designed based on American bases in the region as well as the Zionist regime," Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh told the semi-official Fars news agency.
Washington and Israel have said they do not rule out military strikes on Iran if diplomatic means fail to stop it developing nuclear weapons.
Tehran denies its nuclear program is aimed at building bombs.
IRNA said the Guards fired nine Zelzal missiles, two Shahab-1s, two Shahab-2s and one upgraded Shahab-3 missile.
Iranian officials have previously announced that the Shahab 3 can reach targets up to 2,000 km away, putting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf within reach.
A long-time enemy of the U.S., Iran has been emboldened by what it sees as U.S. military defeats in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan. Both countries are still home to large troop numbers and Washington has other bases in the Gulf that Iran could choose to target.
"The Americans have reduced our labors," Hajizadeh told Fars. "Their military bases in the region are in a range of 130, 250 and maximum 700 km in Afghanistan which we can hit with these missiles."
The 'Great Prophet 6' war games, to be carried out on land and sea, are a "message of peace and friendship to countries of the region," Hajizadeh said on Monday.
Asked whether Iranian missiles were a threat to Europe, Hajizadeh told IRNA that while Iran had the technological capacity to build longer-range missiles, the 2,000-km range had been chosen precisely with Israel and U.S. bases in mind.
"Except American and the Zionist regime, we do not feel a threat from any other country," he said.
On Monday, Iran unveiled underground silos that can carry missiles capable of hitting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf as it kicked off the ten-day war games - the country's latest show of military force.
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The purported launching of a Shahin missile during war games in Iran. |
| Photo by: AP |
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Who's prophet is this?
Sick and tired of people worshiping Israel!!
These missiles are a joke. People who still live in the 7th century cannot build 21st century weapons. I am sure these missiles can easily be defeated,
Otherwise, from that distance and with some wind blowing from the south, all these missiles may well end up in Beirut...
Iran is a very big treat for the world!!!
Means THREAT of course...
The Iranians have not attacked anyone for 100 years but, in the past 50 years the United States and Israel have serious form in attacking, invading and occupying. The Iranians, like all those with a modicum of intelligence can see quite clearly that those who supposedly are a threat, like North Korea, but who have nuclear weapons, do not get attacked while those who do not have nuclear weapons like Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and further back, Vietnam, Cambodia and now Yemen etc., do get attacked. Only an idiot would not develop the capacity to resist the American and Israeli war machines.
Iran is developing nukes and Ahmadinejad as good as admitted to it last week when he said Iran is capable of making nukes but doesn't want them. This so called Iranian space program where they send toy monkeys into space and bring it back down has less to do with space and more to do with covertly developing ICBMS. An ICBM leave the atmosphere and renters over its target as a result to avoid the thing burning up they need the kind of nosecones that can withstand atmospheric reentry that you find on space rockets. If Iran openly develops ICBMS then they will get the alarm bells ringing in the Pentagon and may pressure Obama into using air strikes to destroy the Iranian military machine out of fear for American security ( does the US want Iran to have a nuke that can hit the US ). If its done under the cover of a space program then suddenly the rocket development is no longer considered a threat so Obama who doesn't want to rock the boat, especially in an election year can continue to do nothing about Iran other than talk about new sanctions.
All this missile testing is actually a cover for Iran's top-secret space programme. They are planning to send a delegation of religious notables to an Iranian base on the moon. They plan to set up a direct link from the moon to their deity. This will assure the Iranians' goal of world domination. I hope that soon, the Vatican will start testing its missiles too, so that mankind's religious wars can be safely made out in space. This must surely be the funniest phase in human history, just imagine, a religious war out in space. This will surely amuse all the deities invented by man!
That is Too Funny!!!
They talk about specifically targeting US and Israeli interests. In both cases they appear to be "crazy brave". If they are meant to be a deterent to either country they are sorely lacking in comparison to what their apponents have in their own arsenals . And if these misiles are meant to be the sword in any pre-emptive strike, surely they know of Iron Dome and surely they must be aware of the consequences. The US will retaliate with great force. And Israel will utterly decimate them. I think shimon Peres' quote when speaking of Sadam Huseins Iraq, fits nicely here as well. "Israel will reduce them to the status of desert". Take your best shot, fellas. Because there will only be time for the one.
and thar will be the end of Israel
Have any rules or International laws been violated? Now if they had tested a rocket by sending a rocket over Israel to splashdown in the Mediterranean
i personally support iran to hit the american bases in my country Turkey. Then we will be able to get rid of yankees here.
Hopefully, the technology fails and they hit your house first!
Uh, good luck on that one, sweetie.
The U.S and Israel think they are the only one that have the right to security while they envide other countries and occupy their land. Israel continue building settlement and stealing PA lands while America occupy Iraq and Afganistan which Iran have border with both countries. Iran have alot of reason to arm themslves and defend their homeland because they are next on the list of U.S and Israel.
Iran has said that multiple time about Israel