Iran test fires long range missiles, amid nuclear tensions
Missile tests are part of 10-day military drill; earlier this week, Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if sanctions are imposed on its oil exports.
By Reuters Tags: Iran Iran nuclear Iran threat Iran USIran test-fired long range missiles on Saturday during a naval exercise in the Gulf, the
semi-official Fars news agency said, following a threat by Iran to close shipping lanes if the West imposes sanctions on its oil exports.
Another Iranian news agency reported that Iran's nuclear negotiator would write to the European Union offering to resume nuclear talks with major powers.
The 10-day naval drill in the Gulf began last week as Iran showed its resolve to counter any attack by enemies such as Israel or the United States.
"Iran test-fired missiles including long range (missiles), surface to sea, ... in the Persian Gulf," Fars said on Saturday.
Iran threatened on Tuesday to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if it became the target of an oil embargo over its nuclear ambitions, a move that could trigger military
conflict with countries dependent on Gulf oil.
Tensions with the West have risen since the UN nuclear watchdog reported on Nov. 8 that Iran appears to have worked on designing an atomic bomb and may still be pursuing research to that end. Iran denies this and says it needs nuclear technology to generate electricity to meet growing domestic demand.
Letter to Ashton
The semi-official Mehr news agency quoted a senior official as saying that nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili would write to EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton to express Iran's readiness for fresh nuclear talks with major powers.
"Jalili will soon send a letter to Catherine Ashton over the format of negotiations ... then fresh talks will take place with major powers," said Iran's ambassador to Germany Alireza Sheikh Attar.
Talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, plus Germany (P5+1) stalled in January.
The EU is considering a ban - already in place in the United States - on imports of Iranian oil, although diplomats and traders say awareness is growing in the EU that such a ban could damage the bloc's economy without doing much to hurt Iran.
Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said imposing sanctions on Iran's oil exports would lead to a leap in prices.
"Undoubtedly the price of crude will increase dramatically if sanctions are imposed on our oil ... It will reach at least over $200 per barrel," the Aseman weekly quoted Qasemi on
Saturday as saying.
During military drills in 2009, Iran test-fired its surface-to-surface Shahab-3 missile, said to be capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East.
The U.S. has expressed concern about Iran's missiles, which include the Shahab-3 strategic intermediate range ballistic missile with a range of up to 1,000 km (625 miles),
the Ghadr-1 with an estimated 1,600 km range and a Shahab-3 variant known as Sajjil-2 with a range of up to 2,400 km.
Iranian media have said the latest naval exercise differed from previous ones in terms of "the vastness of the area of action and the military equipment and tactics that are being employed".
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Iranian clerics await the launch of a Shahab-2 missile, June 2011. |
| Photo by: AP |
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Iran's threat to shut down oil shipments is a huge error on their part, and will definitely galvanize public opinion in the West against the regime.
They don't care!
This aggressive Iranian diplomacy makes no sense at all. Iraq fired Scud missiles in the past .. The Shahab’s are a modification of the Scud design. Iran and Iraq battled each other for several years. But how long did it take the U.S. to completely wipe the regime out of Iraq - despite the current status quo - I am just mentioning „disabling“ the Ba'ath regime. The „diplomacy“ of Iraq’s foreign speaker Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf sounded just the same. It did not help. In a matter of a couple of weeks the whole regime and the revolutionary guards and everything had to surrender. The same will happen with Iran. They could not beat Iraq in 8 years and made no real progress until today. They will fall just in the same amount of time if it comes down to a conflict. One has to be realistic here. It is really sad that it seems it has to be that way again. If Saddam would not have gone to war for oil (Kuwait)... If the Taliban would have handed Bin Laden to the U.S. .. Even Ghadaffi would enjoy a great live full of pleasure in Costa Rica spending millions of his fortune every month. But some power mongers just don’t calm down. Iran could be a country the whole world looks at with admiration. All needed would be a deal to really renounce from nuclear energy at all and go fully green instead. The only thing which is green in Iran is the current regime’s opposition. The „Green Movement“ At least they will be happy if the U.S. and its allies intervene .. somehow like the „Northern Alliance“ in Afghanistan. They have been happy that the Taliban did not hand out Bin Laden to the U.S. I just can’t take seeing more and more bloodshed ... All this is ridiculous.
Talking about your tv right?
The US will never again put an invasion force together. At best there will be a sustained aerial campaign. But you cannot win a war that way unless the local population revolts. If they do not it will be another 8 years war.
Are you a complete idiot? Even if Saddam didn't invade Kuwait (with U.S. ambassador's aquiassence), the U.S. would have invaded Iraq. And the Taliban did offer to hand over Bin Laden; all they wanted is a fair trial in a Third Country, and asked for evidence. You want to see the evidence? See this site: http://www.drjudywood.com/ or this one: http://www.ae911truth.org/
Do you have any idea about Iran at all?
Doesn't seem like much of a test to hit the Persian Gulf from Iran if it is a long-range missile. Most American kids can throw a baseball that far from the beach. Sounds like Fars is spreading BS or there is a bad translation.