Transcript
Questions remain over true nature of Iran missile tests
Doubts remain over the true nature and scale of Iran’s missile tests, as the White House could not confirm reports of a second day of testing and an unnamed senior defense official said Iran fired a single missile yesterday, rather than conducting a second round of tests.
Iranian media reported yesterday that during a second day of war games in the Persian Gulf, it fired more surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, in addition to nine missiles it test-fired on Wednesday.
Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morrell said that the missile tests were intended as “a show of force to intimidate their neighbors” and not a test of new capabilities.
And speaking at Friday prayers in Tehran, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani said Iran does not want a war with Israel, but warned Israel that it would “regret” any military attack on Iran.
Russia: Iran missile tests prove US missile shield unnecessary
After talks in Moscow with the Foreign Minister of Jordan, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said:
(quote) “It confirms our recent statements that the current idea of the US missile defense system in Europe is not necessary in order to monitor and react to specific
missiles of this range.”
Iran this week conducted military exercises in which it test-fired medium- and long-range missiles, (including one Shahab-3 which Tehran says can reach Israel.)
The Bush Administration wants to install the missile defense radar system in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptor rockets in Poland in order to counter a potential attack from what it calls “rogue” states such as Iran.
Iran has cluster bombs; Tests “world’s fastest” underwater missile
Iran broke the news that its armed forces are now equipped with cluster bombs, which are used for destroying small targets.
This would put Iran in a league with its adversaries, Israel and the US, who are among the 28 countries that are known to possess cluster bombs. The announcement comes after a recent agreement banning cluster bombs signed by 111 countries around the world.
Iran also reported that it successfully test-fired on
Wednesday its first subsurface missile called “Hoot“(Pisces) and claimed that it is the fastest weapon of its kind in the world. Fars News Agency says, “The missile’s speed is 100 meter per second and no vessel equipped with anti-subsurface missile defense systems can avoid being hit by Hoot.”
Supreme Court upholds death sentence for rights activist
Yesterday, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld an earlier court ruling sentencing to death Farzad Kamangar, a Kurdish teacher and human rights activist who was arrested two years ago on charges of acting against national security.
According to the Iran-based rights watchdog Human Rights Activists in Iran, Kamangar was originally sentenced to death on 25 February 2008.
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