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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran fires missiles in war games |
| 2006-11-02 |
| IRAN'S Revolutionary Guards fired missiles with the capability of carrying cluster warheads at the start of 10-days of military manoeuvres today, state television reported. Iran had said the manoeuvres, which will last until November 11 and will include drills in the Gulf and Sea of Oman, would be a show of "defensive strength". "Shahab missiles were fired. Its range is up to 2000km and it can carry cluster warheads," a reporter for state-owned Arabic-language Al-Alam television said from central Iran, near where he said the missiles were fired. There was no immediate confirmation from Iranian authorities. Yahya Rahim Safavi, commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards, had said the Guards would fire "dozens" of missiles including Shahab-2 and Shahab-3 types with cluster warheads. Experts say Iran's Shahab-3 missiles have a maximum range of some 2000km, making them capable of hitting Israel as well as US military bases in the Gulf. They say the Shahab-2 missile has a range of up to 700km. US officials accuse Iran of planning to equip its missiles with nuclear warheads. Iran denies the charge, saying its nuclear program is aimed at making electricity not bombs. Mr Safavi had said ground, air and naval forces, including submarines, would take part in the exercises called "The Greatest Prophet", mainly in the Gulf and Sea of Oman. The Revolutionary Guards, the ideologically driven wing of the armed forces which has a separate command structure from the regular military, held war games in the Gulf in April in which they tested new missiles, torpedoes and other equipment. Analysts interpreted those war games as a thinly veiled threat that Iran could disrupt vital oil shipping lanes if pushed by an escalation in the dispute over the country's nuclear program. The start of Iran's manoeuvres follow US-led naval exercises involving 25 nations in the Gulf on Monday aimed at training the forces to block the transport of weapons of mass destruction and related equipment. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #4 Somebody should tell them that the only way to win is not to play. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2006-11-02 20:24 |
| #3 The missiles were fired in their remote deserts, the games are in the Gulf; I guess they want to minimise any 'accidents'! |
| Posted by: smn 2006-11-02 15:45 |
| #2 Stand by... predict work accident leading to rapid decline in (usable) Iranian watercraft |
| Posted by: USN, ret. 2006-11-02 14:48 |
| #1 was it another Iranian super weapon like the flying lawnmower engined 'stealth' contraption they unveiled in a lol-tastic wargame not to long ago? |
| Posted by: Shep UK 2006-11-02 05:16 |