Iran's new missile shows it has an "aggressive" military program: US
AFP
Date: 03-31-06
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iran's successful firing of a new radar-evading missile capable of striking several targets simultaneously shows that it has an "aggressive military program under way," the US State Department said.
The Iranian-developed missile can also "hide from radars and evade anti-missile missiles," Iranian Brigadier General Hossein Salami told state television in Iran.
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the move "demonstrates that Iran has a very active and aggressive military program under way."
Their program includes "efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction as well as delivery systems," he said.
Iran is currently under mounting international pressure over its disputed nuclear energy drive, which Israel and several Western nations believe is a cover for weapons development. Tehran denies the charges.
"I think Iran's military posture, military development effort, is of concern to the international community, as evidenced by the kind of consensus you're seeing with regard to their nuclear program as well as other nonproliferation concerns," Ereli said.
The Security Council late Wednesday unanimously approved a non-binding statement giving Iran 30 days to abandon uranium enrichment activities -- which Iran promptly refused to comply with.
Iran's Salami did not disclose the new missile's range. Iran already has medium-range Shahab-3 missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,280 miles), putting arch-enemy Israel and US bases in the Middle East within reach.
Multiple warhead missiles are often placed on inter-continental ballistic missile rockets, which usually have a range of more than 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles).
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