Iran Claims to Successfully Test Its Longest-Range Missiles
By Corky Siemaszko
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The Iranians thumbed their collective noses at the world again Monday by test launching two long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel and U.S. military bases in the Mideast.
"Iranian missiles are able to target any place that threatens Iran," Abdollah Araqi, a top Revolutionary Guard commander, told a state-controlled news agency.
The test-firing of two intermediate range missiles followed a Sunday test of short-range missiles.
Government mouthpiece Hasan Qashqavi insisted the nerve-rattling tests were planned long in advance - and not a response to international anger over recent revelations that Iran had been secretly developing an underground uranium enrichment facility.
There was no immediate comment to the latest Iranian provocation from President Obama. He has repeatedly warned Tehran there will be consequences if they did not come clean on its nuclear program - and open the suspicious site to U.N. nuclear inspectors.
Iranian missile testing will be Topic A when reps for the Muslim cleric-controlled country meet Thursday in Switzerland with the six major powers trying to stop its suspected nuclear weapons program.
Secretary of State Clinton said Iran will have a tough time convincing them their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. By testing missiles, Iran has put itself on course for tougher economic penalties going beyond the current "leaky sanctions," she said.
Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, insists his country needs nuclear power - even though Iran is a major oil producer.
But most world leaders don't trust Ahmadinejad and the Israelis are especially wary of a Holocaust-denying despot who has called for wiping Israel "off the map."
While the Israelis have been pushing Obama to take a harder line against Iran, U.S. intelligence believes Iran is one to five years away from having nuclear weapons capability - and has not yet made the decision to build a nuke.
Although Iran has previously tested missiles capable of reaching southeastern Europe, the Obama administration said last week that it believed that effort has been slowed.
That assessment was cited as one of the reasons for Obama's decision the shelve the Bush administration's plan to plant a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Obama said it would instead go with a mostly sea-based defense system aboard U.S. warships to counter any Iranian missile threat. Critics accused Obama of caving into the Russians, who have long opposed a U.S. missile system near their border.
The Poles were especially angered by Obama's decision, which was announced on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland during World War II.
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