Iran winds up ‘successful’ defensive missile tests

World Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Iranian Guards stage defence manoeuvres amid war threats from US-backed Israeli military.

Iran on Monday wound up two days of “successful” missile tests as part of war games, with all the targets hit, the elite Revolutionary Guards said.

“The last stage of the ‘Great Prophet’ ballistic missile manoeuvres were carried out successfully this morning. Thus the manoeuvres have ended, with all the targets hit,” the Guards said on its Sepahnews website.

Iran’s Guards on Monday test-fired its two-stage long-range Sejil missile, the Fars news agency and English-language Press TV channel reported.

“For the first time the Guards tested the Sejil, a two-stage missile powered by solid fuel, in a missile manoeuvre,” Fars said.

The Guards’ air force commander Hossein Salami was quoted by Press TV as saying that the force test-fired the Sejil along with the other long-range Shahab-3 missile.

On Sunday, the Guards launched the missile manoeuvres marking “Sacred Defence” week which commemorates the start of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

The exercise comes at a time of war threats from Israel, with possible US backing.

Guards air force commander Hossein Salami told reporters on Sunday that the force would test-fire a Shahab-3 long-range missile on Monday.

Iran says the missile has a range of 1,300-2,000 kilometres (800-1,240 miles).

On Sunday, the Guards fired several short- and medium-range missiles, some with multiple warheads, state media reported.

The medium-range Shahab-1 and Shahab-2, with a range of between 300 kilometres and 700 kilometres, were successfully launched, Salami said.

“The missiles shot have precisely hit the targets,” he said.

Earlier, the Guards test-fired three types of short-range missile — the Tondar-69, Fateh-110 and Zelzal.

All three weapons, powered by solid fuel, have a range of between 100 and 400 kilometres. State-owned Press TV broadcast footage of sand-coloured missiles being fired in desert terrain.

On Monday, Salami issued a warning to those who threaten to wage war against Iran.

“Our response will be strong and destructive to those who threaten the existence, independence, freedom and values of our regime. They will regret it,” the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

He said the missile exercise was aimed at practising for “long wars, moving the missile installations from one point to another as well as simultaneous and non-simultaneous shots at convergent and divergent targets.”

On Sunday, Salami dismissed Israel as a potential threat, saying “that regime is not in a position that we need to comment about threats from it.”

The White House said the intelligence community now believed Iran was developing shorter-range missiles “more rapidly than previously projected,” while progressing more slowly than expected with intercontinental missiles.

Russia urges world restraint

The world should not “succumb to emotions” in dealing with Iran, a Russian foreign ministry source told Interfax news agency Monday.

“Now is not the time to succumb to emotions, it is necessary to calm down and above all to start up an effective negotiation process,” the source was quoted as saying by Interfax.

Separately, a top Russian general said that Iran’s launches of its Sejil and Shahab-3 missiles had been monitored by the Russian-operated Gabala radar facility in Azerbaijan.

France demands Iran cease ‘destabilising activities’

France on Monday voiced sharp concern at news that Iran had test fired two long-range missiles and demanded Tehran immediately stop its “deeply destabilising activities.”

“We call on Iran to choose the path of cooperation rather than confrontation, by immediately ceasing these deeply destabilising activities,” said a statement from the foreign ministry.

France urged Iran to cooperate “by responding without delay to the demands of the international community to reach a negotiated settlement on the nuclear question.”

Britain says ‘concerned’ by Iran missile tests

Iran’s weekend missile tests are “a matter of concern”, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s spokesman said Monday.

“The test firing of missiles at the weekend is of course a matter of concern, but we know the main issue remains Iran’s nuclear programme,” Brown’s spokesman told reporters.

Brown’s spokesman said: “All efforts must be to address the nuclear issue as part of that process.”

Germany finds Iran missile tests ‘troubling’

Iran’s missile tests are “troubling” and will not inspire trust ahead of upcoming talks between six major powers and Tehran, a spokesman for the German foreign ministry said on Monday.

“The news from Iran is troubling. Tehran is testing missiles despite the fact that it wants to talk with the (six countries) about regional peace and stability. Ahead of the upcoming talks, this is not a signal that will build trust,” spokesman Jens Ploetner said in a statement.

Mousavi opposes sanctions against Tehran

Iran’s opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said on Monday he opposes sanctions against Tehran.

“We are against any sanctions against our nation,” Mousavi said in a statement posted on Rouydadnews reformist website.

“We might have simplistically thought this is an advantage for our green movement, but it is not,” said Mousavi.

Despite being fiercely critical of Ahmadinejad’s foreign and internal policy, war-time premier Mousavi supported Iran’s pursuit of nuclear technology in his campaign.

Iran holds regular military manoeuvres in strategic Gulf waters, showing off its domestic long-range and medium-range missiles as well as other weaponry.

Iran has in past warned that it would respond to an American attack by targeting US bases in the region and block the Strait of Hormuz — an important passageway of oil tankers in the Gulf.

Tehran had repeatedly protested against Israeli and US war threats, warning them that it would retaliate in the event of any strike against Iran.

Overview of Iran’s missiles:

SHAHAB-3 (Meteor-3)

Iran’s longest-range missile has a range normally given by the Iranian military as 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles).

First test-fired in November 2006, these missiles are fuelled by liquid propellant and have a “baby-bottle” nose for extra aerodynamic efficiency in contrast to the standard cone-shaped tip.

Iran also has two missiles derived from the Shahab 3: the Ghadr-1 (Power), which has a range of 1,800 kilometres (1,116 miles), and the Ashura (named after a major Shiite day of mourning), with a range of 2,000 kilometres.

SHAHAB 2 and 1

Scud-type missiles with a range of 300-500 kilometres (186-310 miles).

SEJIL (Lethal Stone)

A surface-to-surface missile with a range of around 2,000 kilometres. Tested for the first time in November 2008, the two-stage missile has two engines with combined solid fuel.

A US official said in April, after Iran test-fired the Sejil for the second time, that the launch appeared to have been successful.

ZELZAL (Quake)

The Zelzal, fired on Sunday, has a range of between 100 and 400 kilometres (60-248 miles), and like other Iranian missiles except for the Shahab series, is also powered by solid fuel.

FATEH 110 (Conqueror)

Test-fired on Sunday along with the Zelzal and the Tondar-69, the Fateh 110 short-range missile has a range of between 150 and 200 kilometres (90-125 miles).

TONDAR-69 (Thunder-69)

Test-fired on Sunday, it has a similar range as the Fateh 110.

NAZEAT (Removal)

A short-range missile, the Nazeat has a range of around 100 kilometres (60 miles).

FAJR-3 (Dawn), FAJR-5

Fajr-3 has a range of 45 kilometres (28 miles) and the Fajr-5 75 kilometres (45 miles).

OGHAB (Eagle)

Far shorter than Iran’s other missiles and essentially a rocket, the Oghab has a range of around 45 kilometres (28 miles).

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