Iran: New Missile Can Reach Israel

Weapon Is Also Capable Of Hitting U.S. Bases In The Mideast, Iranian Defense Ministry Says

(AP)  Iran said Tuesday it has manufactured a new missile with a range of 1,200 miles capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases in the Mideast, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Iran's Defense Minister Gen. Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said the Ashoura missile was produced by factories affiliated with the ministry, according to IRNA. He did not say whether Iran has test fired the missile or has plans to do so.

Ashoura means "the tenth day" in Farsi, a sacred reference among Shiite Muslims to the martyrdom of the third imam.

Analysts believe much of Iran's military production has benefited from assistance from Russia, China and other countries, but many of their weapons development claims have not been independently verified.

Iran launched an arms development program during its war with Iraq to compensate for a U.S. weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has reportedly produced its own jets, torpedoes, radar-avoiding missiles, tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Recent weapons development has been motivated by Iran's standoff with the U.S. over its controversial nuclear program, which Washington claims is a cover for weapons development - a charge Tehran denies.

Iran is known to possess a medium-range ballistic missile known as the Shahab-3, which means "shooting star" in Farsi, with a range of at least 800 miles. In 2005, Iranian officials said they had improved the range of the Shahab-3 to 1,200 miles, equal to the new missile announced Tuesday.

Najjar did not elaborate about the differences between the Ashoura missile and the Shahab-3 missile.

In September during a military parade, Iran introduced the Ghadr missile, which has a range of 1,119 miles).

Experts also believe Iran is developing the Shahab-4 missile, thought to have a range between 1,200-1,900 miles, that would enable it to hit much of Europe.

In Israel, there was no official reaction to the Tehran statement. But missile expert Uzi Rubin, formerly head of the Arrow anti-missile project in Israel's Ministry of Defense, said the announcement had long been expected.

Rubin said Israel is already in the range of other Iranian missiles and that "the people who need to be really worried about the new missile are in Europe."

While it marks a "technological jump," Rubin said he doubted it was operational, since a testing of the missile would likely have been picked up by U.S. intelligence. "They are apparently at the initial stages," he said. "The system is not yet operational, but it doesn't mean that it can't be."

On other military topics, IRNA on Tuesday carried a statement by the elite Revolutionary Guard chief acknowledging that an eventual U.S. strike on the Islamic country could damage its infrastructure.

"Imaginable danger from the enemy is the threat to military and nonmilitary facilities, including to infrastructure," it quoted Mohammad Ali Jafari as saying during a conference on civil defense.

Jafari, the Guards chief, did not specifically name the U.S., but "enemy" is shorthand for America with Iranian officials.

Jafari said the "enemy does not dare launch a full-fledged war against Iran" and stressed that improvements in civil defense would have a preventive role in case of such a strike.

Other than proclaiming Iran's strength, Iranian officials rarely speak publicly about the ramifications of a military conflict with the U.S.

Washington has persisted it is pursuing diplomatic options with Tehran for now, but has not ruled out military action as a way to halt the country's nuclear program.

[agnim]

It is destructive for the media to be used as propaganda agent for the Jewish warmongers.
For why is Iran anymore likely to make war than the more deadly armed Israel, which has been constantly at war?

Israel has far more arms and far more sophisticated arms than Iran; and Israel has been using those arms with regular frequencies. (See the recent attack of Israel on Syria).

So why is Israel not being pointed out to the American people as the biggest warmonger in the Middle East, along with the US?

The whole propaganda effort is to encourage more warmongering on the part of Americans.
It''s as if the wars being waged now do not provide enough killing of Americans and other humans.

Since the Jews love endless wars, then let them fight their own wars.
No more Americans should be as foolish to waste their lives as those who have done so in the UNPROVOKED war in Iraq!

[closethippy1]

Iranian missiles that can reach Israel = Less Jews moving to Israel, and get the ones already there to think about moving out.
That''s the reason there''s been suicide bombings in Israel and it''s worked.

[b-easy63]

NOW - AT A RELATIVELY LOW COST, before that very warped, sick-with-religious-delusions nation, plunges us into a darkness from which we will not be able to extricate ourselves !

Posted by Damnedrelign at 04:44 PM : Nov 27, 2007

Uhmmm.... we are already out of money and are leaving the Iraq bill for our grandkids, if we try to forward the debt for a new war, look for another kind of backlash from within. You know, when your kids and the next generation decide NOT to support all the boomers in their old age but to EUTHANIZE us for screwwwing their world up, using up so many resources, destroying the environment, placing them in endless wars and leaving them a mountain of debt. Can you say Logan''s run? I predict as payback, our kids will tax all those good ol'' IRA''s/401Ks, Keoghs and other retirement plans at about 85 to 90% we not only will have other countries hating us--if we keep this up our own descendants will despise us. Get a grip--if you need endless war, buy yourself a playstation and do it in fantasy.

[b-easy63]

Even if Iran is developing missiles that can hit Israel, why do we need to know that? Next Iran will be bragging about nuclear warheads on those same missiles that can hit Israel!!!

Posted by tbweb at 11:36 AM : Nov 27, 2007

Guess you did not learn much about fake posturing and appearing to be tough and have weapons from the Saddam debacle. Moslems talk a good game to try to bluff their enemies. Even when they speak English, we are speaking different languages. Among their own, this posturing is a bluff and a stance to bolster themselves regionally and leave the other countries wondering what is true and hesitant to attack. But we tend to believe what is not proven, because it suits our purpose to attack and gain strategic ground in the ME. Like Saddam''s boast or allusions--it may all be a sham. Unfortunately for Iran, they seem not to know that we do not kid very well and we are not from the ME. Idle threats to us can get them killed or in for some serious hurting--but the fact is--they do not realize that what for them is natural tough rhetoric and bluff--is for us--a true threat and we could act on it. The one major flaw of a global anything. Just because both parties converse in the same language does not mean that what they say means the same to both of them. It always is placed in the context of that country. They did not learn from Saddam and Iraq.

[b-easy63]

Iran must be crazy. Are they really inviting America to visit the same horrific conditions in Iraq, on Iran? The Iranian people better rid themselves of these nutcases, before our nutcases let loose with an airtight excuse to attack, kill, torture and lay waste to their country. We may not be able to contain the mess we make of Iran or even to win--but that won''t help all the people we will kill when we start our mess.

[tbweb]

"Iran: New Missile Can Reach Israel"

Congratulations Iran.

Posted by FeelFree1 at 03:37 PM : Nov 27, 2007,,,

FeelFree1 is a 20 year old G.A.Y. male from Ukraine posing as an American to disrupt our thoughts, Post and communications. Ignore it!

[valendug]

what''re you neoKKKons going to do when your "sweet daddy" Trent Lott leaves? Who''s going to be your new grand wizard? *** Cheney?

[valendug]

you republiKKKon cockroaches just don''t know when to give up, do you? duhhh...bya wouldn''t know a WMD if he saw one, as his great find of that large cache of WND''s in Iraq shows. Launch on Iran.

[valendug]

The sooner that missile explodes in Israel, the closer this world will come to peace.

[valendug]

Xlegion, how''d you get into the United States?

[damnedrelign]

It is religion that is responsible for such mindset, as the Iranian national psyche genuinely believes in martyrdom, and total destruction to satisfy their primitive and perverted "needs".
The sooner we eliminate Iran''s military, nuclear and other EARTH-MANKIND doomsday scenario that Iran''s leaders are bent on "achieving", the better our and our children''s future will be.
Stop Iran, and neutralize the Iranian threat to mankind NOW - AT A RELATIVELY LOW COST, before that very warped, sick-with-religious-delusions nation, plunges us into a darkness from which we will not be able to extricate ourselves !

[beehive21-2009]

The Iranian government is made up of Cowards,remember they took hostages,all talk and no go.Should they use missiles,there goes the Red Republicians back to being just Punks.Remember the people of Iran are very nice it''s politicians that are foolish.

[frankly6]

So what?

It''s called mutually assured destruction. It''s what kept the Soviets and the U.S. from bombing each other for decades. When countries are on an equal footing militarily, they have to resolve their differences by talking. The Iranians want to be sure that Bush doesn''t invade them too.

[feelfree1]

"Iran: New Missile Can Reach Israel"

Congratulations Iran.

[x-legion-x]

tngreen, if you hate America so much, why not move to Iran? Im sure they will take you, and I promise the USA will do nothing to keep you.

[tngreen]

Under the Bush administration, the U.S. has made the decision to let lapse treaties under which we previously agreed never to use nuclear weapons on non-nuclear nations. Do we now see an explosion of nations rushing to develop nuclear weapons? Blame Bush. What incentive is there to remain non-nuclear when U.S. policy is that we may use nuclear weapons--preemptively--on nations that have no nuclear capability? Wouldn''t you be arming yourself to the teeth too?

As for Iran''s acting provocatively, I believe they are merely trying to warn the U.S. that this dog bites back--if we attack them, it will not be the cakewalk (irony intended) that Iraq has been. Iran is 4 times the size of Iraq and is unified internally in resistance to U.S. imperial aspirations. By appprising us of at least some of their capabilities, Iran''s intention is to DETER war, not provoke it. But the monkey-in-chief cannot appreciate such subtleties. As the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei put it, "Some say that the U.S. president is not prone to calculating the consequences of his actions, but it is possible to bring this kind of person to wisdom." Let''s just hope it doesn''t happen too late.

[krenz4]

irani leadership is trying to be provacative to the west ,pure and simple. If they keep threatening Israel and Israel makes a preemptive move to take them out, then all bets are off and the whole arab world will come out in support of poor peacful iran. That is what they are counting on. I just hope no one is fooled by their deceptions.

[tbweb]

If Iran is interested in peace then why is Iran bragging about and creating missiles that can hit Israel? This is what I''m talking about when I say Iran''s claim to developing nuclear power for electricity and peaceful purposes is not compatible with Iran''s hostile rhetoric and threats towards Israel! The 2 don''t match! Get the picture? Even if Iran is developing missiles that can hit Israel, why do we need to know that? Next Iran will be bragging about nuclear warheads on those same missiles that can hit Israel!!!