U.S.: Iranian Missile Tests "Provocative"

Russian Foreign Minister Urges Tehran to Cooperate with Nuclear Inspectors, as Iran Test-Fires Solid-Fuel Rockets

(CBS/AP)  Last Updated 3:08 p.m. ET.

The White House today called Iran's latest missile tests "provocative," and said the onus is now on the Iranians to respond to the newly-revealed existence of a secret underground facility that could be used to produce nuclear weapons.

Iran said it successfully test-fired the longest-range missiles in its arsenal on Monday, weapons capable of carrying a warhead and striking Israel, U.S. military bases in the Middle East, and parts of Europe.

The launches come at a time when Iran is under intense international pressure to fully disclose its nuclear activities, after the U.S. and its allies disclosed that Iran had been secretly developing an underground uranium enrichment facility and warned the country it must open the site to international inspection or face harsher international sanctions.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said there has never been a stronger international consensus to get tough on Iran's nuclear program, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss.

Western nations accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, while Iran says it only seeks to create fuel for nuclear power plants.

Of the meeting in Geneva on Thursday between Iran and other nations, including the U.S., about Iran nuclear program, Gibbs said it Iran must provide full transparency about its nuclear activities, and ensure that it will only pursuit peaceful nuclear energy uses.

"They have decisions to make. They have one of two paths that they can take. They can continue the path that they've been on, even while the world has shown conclusive intelligence about a facility in Qom, or it can make a decision to step away from its nuclear weapons program and build confidence in the world and ... enter into a meaningful relationship with the world based on their own security, but not based on nuclear weapons," Gibbs said.

When asked what nations at Thursday's meeting (referred to as P5+1) will expect from Tehran, Gibbs said they can "agree to immediate unfettered access [of the nuclear fuel facility]. That would be the least that they could do."

Gibbs also used the Iranian tests to back up the recent announcement that the Obama administration was scrapping the Bush era missile defense program that was to be installed in Poland and the Czech Republic.

"The decision that Secretary Gates, General Cartwright [and] the Joint Chiefs approved unanimously and forwarded to the president, which the president then approved, is something that deals with the exact threat of medium- and intermediate-range missiles that you saw Iran testing just today," he said.

Also today, Russia's foreign minister said that Iran's missile tests are causing concern.

Sergey Lavrov also says that he has urged Iran to co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and fully answer questions related to its newly-revealed uranium enrichment facility.

Lavrov made the comments Monday at the United Nations when he spoke to Russian reporters after his meeting with his Iranian counterpart, according to Russia's three main news agencies.

Iran Tests Its Most Advanced Missiles

State television said the powerful Revolutionary Guard, which controls Iran's missile program, successfully tested the medium-range Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles which can fly up to 1,200 miles. It was the third round of missile tests in two days of drills by the Guard.

The Sajjil-2 missile is Iran's most advanced two-stage surface-to-surface missile and is powered entirely by solid-fuel, while the older Shahab-3 uses a combination of solid and liquid fuel in its most advanced form.

Solid fuel is seen as a technological breakthrough for any missile program, as solid fuel increases the accuracy of missiles in reaching targets.

Gen. Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guard Air Force, said Sunday the drills were meant to show Tehran is prepared to crush any military threat from another country.

The revelation of Iran's previously secret nuclear site has given greater urgency to a key meeting on Thursday in Geneva between Iran and six major powers trying to stop its suspected nuclear weapons program.

James Rubin, former Assistant Secretary of State in the Clinton administration and a weapons proliferation expert, told CBS' "The Early Show" on Monday that Tehran conducted the missile tests "to say they don't feel on the defensive" ahead of this week's meeting in Geneva.

"They're saying, 'We still feel strong - on the offense not on the defense.' It shows how difficult Thursday's negotiations are going to be," said Rubin.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she doesn't believe Iran can convince the U.S. and other world powers at the upcoming meeting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, putting Tehran on a course for tougher economic penalties beyond the current "leaky sanctions."

The Iranians must "present convincing evidence as to the purpose of their nuclear program. We don't believe that they can present convincing evidence that it's only for peaceful purposes, but we are going to put them to the test," Clinton told CBS' "Face the Nation".

"If we don't get the answers that we are expecting and the changes in behavior that we're looking for, then we will work with our partners to move toward sanctions," Clinton added.

Rubin cautioned, however, that the Obama administration should "be very realistic about what sanctions can do against a regime like this."

"The idea that this group (Iran's leaders), which has shed all the relatively moderate people over the last six months, is going to capitulate to the United States" is unlikely, Rubin told "Early Show" anchor Maggie Rodriguez.

CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer said, despite the offensive show of force on the missile range, Iran's leaders will enter Thursday's round of talks on the defensive - embarrassed by the revelation of its secret nuclear site and still reeling from the bloody aftermath of a contested presidential election.

The second nuclear site was revealed in the arid mountains near the holy city of Qom and is believed to be inside a heavily-guarded, underground facility belonging to the Revolutionary Guard, according to a document sent by President Obama's administration to lawmakers.

Left: A GeoEye-1 satellite image taken of the suspect nuclear enrichment facility under construction inside a mountain located about 20 miles NNE of Qum, Iran.)

After the strong condemnations from the U.S. and its allies, Iran said Saturday it will allow U.N. nuclear inspectors to examine the site.

Israel has trumpeted the latest discoveries as proof of its long-held assertion that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons.

By U.S. estimates, Iran is one to five years away from having nuclear weapons capability, although U.S. intelligence also believes that Iranian leaders have not yet made the decision to build a weapon.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi identified the newly revealed site as Fordo, a village located 112 miles south of the capital Tehran. The site is 62 miles away from Natanz, Iran's known industrial-scale uranium enrichment plant.

Qashqavi, however, said the missile tests had nothing to do with the tension over the site, saying it was part of routine, long-planned military exercises.

Iran also is developing ballistic missiles that could carry a nuclear warhead, but the administration said last week that it believes that effort has been slowed. That assessment paved the way for Mr. Obama's decision to shelve the Bush administration's plan for a missile shield in Europe, which was aimed at defending against Iranian ballistic missiles.

State media reported tests overnight of the Shahab-1 and Shahab-2 missiles, with ranges of 185 miles and 435 miles respectively.

That followed tests early Sunday of the short range Fateh and Tondar missiles, which have a range of 120 miles and 93 miles respectively.

Iran's last known missile tests were in May when it fired its longest-range solid-fuel missile, Sajjil-2.

[aubfmet]

2 Bombs ended the last world war. Lets see that we have the bombs that end the next world war.

[Chris-Killz-Blog]

I'll tell you what's provocative...this country starting ww3 over nothing. We are in no position to talk, and neither is Israel. We are the biggest terror states on the globe sorry. What is it that Iran even did again? Someone from Iran said they wished the state of Israel would "vanish into the sands of time" Ooh better nuke em.- glass parking lot-- why, I think he even questioned certain details about the holocaust! C'mon. Give me a break. chriskillz503.blogspot.com

[spaceatoms]

Its just another day in the United States, the sports from the weekend are over, and Wall Street was up and now we are back to the Iranian crisis being used as a political card as a reason along with terrorism to have the troops over there. Its been the same story for the last 8 years, and then you have the holidays coming up and all the everyday drama of the cheaters like Madoff out there. Again, its just another day!

[akinos2009]

U.S. says Iranian missiles are "Provocative"
Under the same description of provocative would be the U.S. stationing
7 new military bases in Columbia, thereby alarming all the nations of
the South American Continent. Are there Al Qaeda or Taliban down there or people with weapons of mass destruction? No, but a new reason will be found and given. Inflammatory words are easy to come by in the new world of double speak.
The U.S. believes in do as I say not as I do.

[akinos2009]

U.S. says Iranian missiles are "Provocative"
Under the same description of provocative would be the U.S. stationing
7 new military bases in Columbia, thereby alarming all the nations of
the South American Continent. Are there Al Qaeda or Taliban down there or people with weapons of mass destruction? No, but a new reason will be found and given. Inflammatory words are easy to come by in the new world of double speak.
The U.S. believes in do as I say not as I do.

[bubbadubba]

I think the statement by the Iranian military leader that "Israel's days are numbered" as they launched the missiles and work on a nuclear weapon are the end for me. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt but Iran intends to try to destroy Israel and US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Go ahead and destroy Iran and be done with it before it is too late, God willing. We must act now and do it right. Iran intends to nuke Israel and Europe and must be destroyed, God willing.
Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar!

[ass_u_me]

Time to get S.D.I. in gear. Notice the middle letter is a "D". The "D" stands for "De-fense".

[Charlemagne2009]

the reaction of the Iranian regime is a provocation,It's existing an analogy with North Korea réaction in the past, same cause, same effect ?
With the nuclear power Iran would benefit from a medium to ideological expansion which it has always perfect, and it would become a danger to world peace.

[taxchurches]

Look, everybody who wants nuclear weapons is eventually going to get them, and nothing can prevent that. Let's just have a big swapmeet and hand them out to everybody. Then we have a stalemate, we can stop resurrecting this worn out old news story, and we can move on to the new paradigm. Sure, we have a couple of limited nuclear exchanges between Iran and Israel, Turkey and India, the Bloods and the Crips, whatever. Anti-proliferation isn't working, so let's encourage proliferation and get this over with. We'll have a New Rule: everybody gets nukes. But all other nations agree to immediately destroy the first country to use one on anybody. I suppose we can exempt America for it's use of nuclear weapons prior to this agreement.

[kevjustice]

Congragulations USA. You have helped create the frankenstein monster that today is known as Iran. In the 50's your CIA helped topple the legitimate government to install the depotic shah. He of couse sold out the interests of his own people to feed american oil companies and enrich himself. This is what brought the current regime in power. You have no one to blame but yourself.

[shazmiforce]

Its your greed that has run amok, you can't control your greedy ways...You have lost your values ,you have lost character to be honest brokers of peace ...You are lost with the under world of dead dumb and dumbers....LBJ...May god save your identities on the jusdgement day ...

[shazmiforce]

Don't mesa with 'Joe' LBJ..lol

[wdh3007]

Real missile or just a photo op either way I say cut off all U.S. aide to the middle east save money and thier would be a peace deal within a year we have our own domestic supply of oil.

[Lawyers-Guns-n-Money-01]

by NewYork-Joey September 28, 2009 4:55 PM EDT
Let's start with something a notch higher then talking....OK LIB ??
=========================================

Gee whiz Joe, why are you so wont to refer to libs in the pejorative?

I bet you're a liberal and don't even know it.

[shazmiforce]

Sorry buffoon its the american empire ready to crumble and certainly not the persian empire which is stronger than ever ....America must pay pay its bills first to china and than take care of your own borders ...70 percent of america is worse than the third world countries with decaying buildings ,dying businesses,job less rate hitting sky high ,and the financial mess caused by the federal reserve people being swindled by the corrupt federal reserve..You dingbats have way too much to worry about at home never mind iran ....The revolution in iran is here to stay for centuries to come ....And believe it ...Its your time to end for your foolish mistakes around the world and that is a true fact and I will live long enough to see that happen...And then a new america will be born without these corrupt,lying,swindling thugs that rules today .....

[shazmiforce]

I love to see Joe back with passion ....Don't mesa with joe boys...lol

[hungry1968-16]

by hungry1968-16 September 28, 2009 5:09 PM EDT
by NewYork-Joey September 28, 2009 4:55 PM EDT

For the FOURTH TIME --- EXACTLY *** WHAT *** would you like the Obama administration to do about Iran, since you oppose "talking"?

You KEEP saying that you oppose Obama "talking", but you don't say what he SHOULD do, rather than talking.

So tell us, what is YOUR plan, genius?







Still no answer Joe?

Yeah, I didn't think so.....

[hungry1968-16]

by NewYork-Joey September 28, 2009 5:00 PM EDT
by hungry1968-16 September 28, 2009 4:52 PM EDT

Again, you love assuming what people meant, and put words in their mouths that they didn't say.....just shut up already, you are just disgusting and can not discuss anything with anyone.
.





They're YOUR WORDS.

It's not my fault that they don't carry the meaning that you want them to.

[mjlewis6]

The great technical achievement by a country whose most recent elections were tainted with fraud and ballot box stuffing and suppresed peaceful protests seem almost an accident.

If the Iranian government cannot add ballots with transparency and seeks to make fools of its own people, there can be no consensus of national will for any foolhardy undertaking absent a military attack on nuclear facilities by an outside nation.

Iran will crumble from within: a revolution against a revolution that has taken the 1980's Iranian revolution away from the people.

[hungry1968-16]

by NewYork-Joey September 28, 2009 5:04 PM EDT
by hungry1968-16 September 28, 2009 4:57 PM EDT

HELLO !!!! We have bases, allies, army and naval installations all throughout the region that need to be protected and could be under threat by Iran......who do I think Iran can sell nukes to ??? anyone who wishes us harm...that's who....anybody...any terrorist....thank GOD you and your amateur girlyman will be out of power so fast in 2010, your head will spin.....you and your party have absolutely no hint of what protecting American interests means....Thank GOD your party will be out of power very quickly....let's just hope we don't get hit in the meantime.







Iran doesn't even want to attack us, they have no reason to attack us, they've never threatened us, but you think they are going to attack our ships and military bases for no apparent reason, with weapons that they don't even have?!?

You've GOT to be kidding.




Ladies and gentlemen, NewYork-Joey is a PERFECT example of why everyone should quit watching Fox, and start watching ACTUAL NEWS organizations.

Their brainwashing of simple minded individuals like Joe, is the single biggest threat that we face right now.

Terrifying to put it mildly.