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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran test-fires missiles in Persian Gulf |
| 2008-07-09 |
| TEHRAN, Iran - Iran test-fired nine long- and medium-range missiles Wednesday during war games that officials said aimed to show the country can retaliate against any U.S. and Israeli attack, state television reported. Gen. Hossein Salami, the air force commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, said the exercise would "demonstrate our resolve and might against enemies who in recent weeks have threatened Iran with harsh language," the TV report said. Wednesday's war games were being conducted at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which about 40 percent of the world's oil passes. Iran has threatened to shut down traffic in the strait if attacked. The report showed footage of at least three missiles firing simultaneously, and said the barrage included a new version of the Shahab-3 missile, which officials have said has a range of 1,250 miles and is armed with a 1-ton conventional warhead. That would put Israel, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan within striking distance."Our hands are always on the trigger and our missiles are ready for launch," the official IRNA news agency quoted Salami as saying Wednesday. So are ours... The report comes less than a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed fears that Israel and the United States could be preparing to attack his country, calling the possibility a "funny joke." "I assure you that there won't be any war in the future," Ahmadinejad told a news conference Tuesday during a visit to Malaysia for a summit of developing Muslim nations. But even as Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials have dismissed the possibility of attack, Tehran has stepped up its warnings of retaliation if the Americans — or Israelis — do launch military action, including threats to hit Israel and U.S. Gulf bases with missiles and stop oil traffic through the vital Gulf region. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Wednesday's tests "evidence that the missile threat is not an imaginary one. Those who say that there is no Iranian missile threat against which we should build a missile defense system perhaps ought to talk to the Iranians about their claims," Rice said while traveling in Sofia, Bulgaria. A White House spokesman called the tests "completely inconsistent with Iran's obligations to the world. The Iranian regime only furthers the isolation of the Iranian people from the international community when it engages in this sort of activity," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the National Security Council. They should also refrain from further missile tests if they truly seek to gain the trust of the world," he added, speaking from Japan where President Bush is attending the Group of Eight summit. In late June, Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, who was then the commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said any attempt by Iran to seal off the Strait of Hormuz would be viewed as an act of war. The U.S. 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain, across the Gulf from Iran. Israel's military sent warplanes over the eastern Mediterranean for a large military exercise in June that U.S. officials described as a possible rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West fears are aimed at producing atomic weapons. The Israeli exercise was widely interpreted as a show of force as well as a practice on skills needed to execute a long-range strike mission. Iran says its nuclear program is geared only toward generating electricity, not weapons. Shaul Mofaz, an Israeli Cabinet minister, set off an international uproar last month by saying in a published interview that Israel would have "no choice" but to attack Iran if it doesn't halt its nuclear program. Mofaz is a former military chief and defense minister, and has been Israel's representative in a strategic dialogue on Iran with U.S. officials. On Wednesday, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel "does not desire hostility and conflict with Iran. But it is clear that the Iranian nuclear program and the Iranian ballistic missile program is a matter of grave concern," Regev said. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #21 The C301 copies of the CSS_N-2 are not that mobile - and that's what would close hormuz. These missiles are nearly 6meters long with an 3 meter wingspan. THey have a large truck-mounted rada array that is needed for target acquisiton and initial guidance. Those have to come up, emit and get the target. They do that, they are DEAD from a HARM. C301 radars and launchpoints have a very very short life expectancy after the initial salvo. Also, their longest range misslies are 1200miles or so in range - the Shahab3 specifically, and they have a 700-800 kg single payload, or less if using cluster munitions (mainly chemical/nerve). CEP estimates vary but are generallybetween 500m and 1 KM (lowest is 200m, highest 3km). This is a weapon that is used only for terror with HE or conventional cluster warneads, or needs an area effect WMD to be effective. Open sources reveal about 20 launchers at best, and they are tightly controlled. Most of the advanced capability was purchased form NKor originally (Its basically a NoDong missile) with some Chinese help later, and more sales of rocket motors form the Norks (who go themfrom the Chinese and resold them). Basically, yes Iran can cause a lot of damage initially, but after that they are in for a world-class assbeating. C3I targets, including power generation and transmission, telecom, broadcast com, and water planst will all be disabled or destroyed. WIhtin a month they will have no power, no water no sewage and no fuel (one refinery). Cholera will run rampant in the large cities- and you'll see perhaps a million or more dead, non from firepower, but fromthe loss of clean water, electricity and modern medical care. Within 6 months starvation will set in. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-07-09 21:36 |
| #20 Good for them, we can put ours through a flea's ass from 5,000 miles away. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-07-09 21:18 |
| #19 WAFF.com > WND.com - CONGRESS EXAMINES [Iran] EMP THREAT [to USA]IRAN PLANNING TO DEV MISSLES THAT CAN HIT THE US. ALso from WAFF > ARGENTINA MIL THREAT RAISES NEW FEARS OVER FALKLANDS. Argentina's Madame President plans to claim a formal Argent stake in ANTARCTICA + INTENT ON USING ARGENTINE MIL TROOPS TO DEFEND ITS INTERESTS. Similar to RUSSIA's reported willingness to deploy WINTER WARFARE TROOPS to defend its new ARCTIC = NORTH POLE INTERESTS/CLAIMS. ARGENTINA IS FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF CHINA, FRANCE, NORWAY, + AUSTRALIA, etc. as per the ANTARCTIC ANTARCTIC > HMMMMMM, well, for one its more evidencia that WOT > MACKINDER'S WAR BTWN NEW WORLD + OLD WORLD > NEW WORLD = AMERICAS IS CURR PREVAILING as per the proposed "TEXAS TRANS-CORRIDOR/SUPER-HIGHWAY", NAU + Pan Amer Union, + VARIOUS PROPOS OWG FREE TRADE ZONES [espec CONUS-NORAM]. As HORACE GREELY once did NOT say > "GO TO ZIMBABWE, YOUNG MAN, GO TO ZIMBABWE"!? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-07-09 20:48 |
| #18 Actually, Iran has been able to perfect its mobile missile systems in the 6 years since they were tagged with the "axis of evil" monicker. In fact, since 9-11 that filthy country has become richer and more fanatic. If they acquire an intercontinental ICBC threat, we will have to blame Bush's suicidal, face saving alliance with Iraq Shiites for that unnecessary threat. What happened to Bush's "West Point" doctrine of "pre-emption"? He is becoming a sick joke. |
| Posted by: Elmolunter Mussolini6660 2008-07-09 18:39 |
| #17 I think Gen. Hossein Salami is full of elite balogna. |
| Posted by: Muggsy Glink 2008-07-09 17:52 |
| #16 This is what I read... Under a contract awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Raytheon will provide 75 Standard Missile-3 Block IA missiles for the United States. The company also will provide 27 similar missiles under the Foreign Military Sales program, which funnels weapons to allied nations through the U.S. military procurement process. The Defense Department said it will initially fund about $92.8 million under the contract, which runs to February 2012. I guess I misread that as being the total production run award. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-07-09 16:05 |
| #15 OP - take the launch parameters, radar, guidance, logistics and C3 elements into account, and you can narrow the areas you need to look. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-07-09 15:57 |
| #14 I've looked at Iran on Google Earth. Heck, I know where their missile production plants are. I also know where they store about half their SILKWORM missiles, and where they park their launchers to fire missiles. It isn't that hard. BTW, napalm on missile storage facilities causes some HUMONGOUS secondary explosions. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-07-09 15:43 |
| #13 Makes a good case for escalation. This conflict is going nuke. Hopefully, we are not permanently sandbagged by the we-can't-do-that-because-we-can't-do-that idiocy. If that UN building was turned into Condos, nobody would believe that crap. Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the fire bombing of Tokyo? Over 500,000 dead in minutes. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2008-07-09 15:43 |
| #12 You guys are giving away all our secrets! We're supposed to leak that intelligence stuff. |
| Posted by: The New York Times 2008-07-09 13:04 |
| #11 One hopes the following: 1) missiles are backtracked to storage sites 2) all traffic into/out of storage sites for n-years is reviewed to determine placement. 3) backtracking from storage to factories. 4) repeat on the factories. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-07-09 12:57 |
| #10 Let's return the compliment. |
| Posted by: mojo 2008-07-09 12:37 |
| #9 Premature Sahabulation? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-07-09 11:58 |
| #8 The astonishing cost is one reason why I don't want the US to emplace missile defenses in Europe, especially not when the majority of the populations are against it. The complex with 10 GMD interceptors is supposed to cost around $5 billion (AFAICR). Their ass, their responsibility. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-07-09 11:45 |
| #7 $1,015,601,310 for 102 SM-3 Block IA = $9.96M each. Production only contract. The R&D alone is well over $10 billion. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-07-09 11:36 |
| #6 FYI the $10M is the complete cost averaged across a production run of 154 missiles, rolling in R&D costs as well (At least half a billion in FY05 alone for development costs, nto production costs). Incremental cost is considerably less per unit - i.e. now that the research is done, it costs us less then $1 million (guesstimate) for each additional missile. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-07-09 10:37 |
| #5 ... a summit of developing Muslim nations. Seems to imply that some developed Muslim nations exist. Where? |
| Posted by: GK 2008-07-09 10:34 |
| #4 Thanks for the ELINT and ballistics and telemetry. It will come in handy when we shoot those down. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-07-09 10:32 |
| #3 At $10 million per Standard SM-3 round, it's cheaper to let the target missile, unless nuke armed, go than to intercept it. Call it an advertising expense. A PR move. Proof-of-concept. i.e. you fuck with us, we knock down your shit and kill the lot of you goat rapers. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-07-09 10:20 |
| #2 At $10 million per Standard SM-3 round, it's cheaper to let the target missile, unless nuke armed, go than to intercept it. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-07-09 10:08 |
| #1 They should have been used as live-fire targets by our interceptors. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-07-09 10:00 |