IRAN:TEHRAN SIGNIFICANTLY raised tensions in the Persian Gulf yesterday by conducting missile tests and making clear that its weapons could be used against Israel and US forces if Iran was attacked.
According to Iranian official reports, the military exercise involved nine missiles, one of them a new Shahab-3 long-range missile that could easily reach Israel and a number of US bases in the region.
The Revolutionary Guard air force commander, Hossein Salami, said the test was not routine but a demonstration of resolve as pressure grows on Iran to curb its nuclear programme.
"We warn enemies who threaten us with military exercises and empty psychological operations that our hand will be on the trigger and our missiles will always be ready to launch," he said. The Shahab-3, which has an estimated range of more than 1,200km with a warhead weighing a tonne, has been tested before, but the remarks by Iranian officials made it clear that on this occasion the test was intended to send a message.
Observers in the region interpreted the exercise as a pointed response to an Israeli exercise last month in which warplanes appeared to be rehearsing for a possible air strike against Iranian nuclear sites.
An Israeli minister recently said his government would have "no choice" but to attack Iranian sites if its nuclear programme continued. - (Guardian service)