Iran test-fires new missile

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4AB1WG20081112?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said it test-fired a new generation of surface-to-surface missile Wednesday and that the Islamic Republic was ready to defend itself against any attacker. Iran's latest missile test followed persistent speculation in recent months of possible U.S. or Israeli strikes against its nuclear facilities, which the West suspects form part of a covert weapons program, a charge Tehran denies. U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, like outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush, has not ruled out military action although he has criticized the Bush administration for not pursuing more diplomacy and engagement with Tehran. Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said the Iranian-made surface-to-surface Sejil missile had "extremely high capabilities" and was only intended for defensive purposes. He said it had a range of close to 2,000 km (1,200 miles), almost as much as another Iranian missile called Shahab 3. That would enable it to reach Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf. "This missile test is in the framework of Iran's deterrent doctrine," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying. "It will only land on the heads of those enemies ... who want to make an aggression and invade the Islamic Republic," said Najjar, who did not mention any country by name. Iran's English-language Press TV said the Sejil missile had two stages and was of a type that used combined solid fuel. A missile was shown soaring from a platform in desert-like terrain, leaving a long vapour trail.

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Commander: Iran builds "solid barrier" against air raids
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/12/content_10343747.htm 2008-11-12 05:30:07 TEHRAN, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian commander said on Tuesday that the Islamic republic's air force has built up a "solid barrier" to defend the country's airspace, Iran's English-language satellite channel Press TV reported. "The air force has built up a solid barrier against any kind of strike, using up-to-date equipment as well as unique military tactics," Iran's Air Force chief Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani said. The Iranian forces would remain vigilant to defend the country's airspace in case of any attack, he added. Iran has test-fired its Shahab-3 missile that is capable of hitting targets within a range of 2,000 km, vowing that its missile capabilities are "a defensive tool against invasions."