Mr. President elect, you turn a cold shoulder to my congratulatory letter and I test you with a new (?) weapon.:(
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle5138413.ece
Iran test-fired what it claimed was a new generation of long-range missiles this morning, state media reported, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed to "crush" the nation's enemies.
Iran's Defence Minister, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, said the Sejil missile had "extremely high capabilities" but affirmed that "it will not be used against any country." He added that the test "has nothing to do with the latest regional and international developments".
This could be taken as a reference to Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election. Mr Ahmadinejad sent a message of congratulation to Mr Obama on the result, a gesture unprecedented in 30-year history of the Islamic republic. Mr Obama's response was non-committal.
The latest tests are sign of the urgency of the problem which will face Mr Obama, with analysts predicting that the worst case scenario would see Iran completing a nuclear weapon within months of his inauguration in January.
Iran denies that its nuclear programme aims at producing a bomb. There has been persistent speculation that the US or Israel might launch airstrikes against sites it suspects are part of a covert weapons programme.
Iranian state television today showed footage of the launch of a missile similar in size to Iran's existing Shahab-3 missile. "This is a two-stage missile carrying two engines with combined solid fuel," Mr Najjad said.
A second stage could increase the missile's range, and Mr Najjar said it had a range of 2,000km (1,200 miles), which would enable it to reach Israel and US bases in the Middle East. The Shahab-3 has a range of 1,200km. Solid fuel could also make the new missile more accurate than the Shahab-3, which is thought to use liquid fuel.
However, Iran's claims about its missile capabilities are often met with scepticism by western analysts. In July it test-fired nine missiles, including one also claimed to have a 2,000km range. Western experts suggested that this weapon did not have a second stage and was in fact identical to the Shahab-3. More embarrassingly, Tehran was caught altering an image of the launches to cover up the failure of one missile to fire.
In a speech coinciding with the launch, Mr Ahmadinejad told a televised rally in the northern province of Mazandaran that Iran would defeat its enemies. “The Iranian nation defends its honour and whichever power that wants to stand against the movement of the Iranian nation, the Iranian nation will crush it under its foot and slap it on the mouth,” he said.
Although he often uses such language, the words contrasted with the conciliatory tone he used to Mr Obama, reminding him that "opportunities that are bestowed up humans are shortlived." Yesteday Mohamed Elbaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Authority, expressed hope that the new president could prompt Tehran to work with the international community.
"If there is a direct dialogue between the United States and Iran, I think Iran will be more forthcoming with the agency," he told a news conference in Prague.
While saying that a nuclear Iran was "unacceptable", Mr Obama has said he would meet Mr Ahmedinejad and would engage in "tough, direct diplomacy".
Iran's Defence Minister, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, said the Sejil missile had "extremely high capabilities" but affirmed that "it will not be used against any country." He added that the test "has nothing to do with the latest regional and international developments".
This could be taken as a reference to Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election. Mr Ahmadinejad sent a message of congratulation to Mr Obama on the result, a gesture unprecedented in 30-year history of the Islamic republic. Mr Obama's response was non-committal.
The latest tests are sign of the urgency of the problem which will face Mr Obama, with analysts predicting that the worst case scenario would see Iran completing a nuclear weapon within months of his inauguration in January.
Iran denies that its nuclear programme aims at producing a bomb. There has been persistent speculation that the US or Israel might launch airstrikes against sites it suspects are part of a covert weapons programme.
Iranian state television today showed footage of the launch of a missile similar in size to Iran's existing Shahab-3 missile. "This is a two-stage missile carrying two engines with combined solid fuel," Mr Najjad said.
A second stage could increase the missile's range, and Mr Najjar said it had a range of 2,000km (1,200 miles), which would enable it to reach Israel and US bases in the Middle East. The Shahab-3 has a range of 1,200km. Solid fuel could also make the new missile more accurate than the Shahab-3, which is thought to use liquid fuel.
However, Iran's claims about its missile capabilities are often met with scepticism by western analysts. In July it test-fired nine missiles, including one also claimed to have a 2,000km range. Western experts suggested that this weapon did not have a second stage and was in fact identical to the Shahab-3. More embarrassingly, Tehran was caught altering an image of the launches to cover up the failure of one missile to fire.
In a speech coinciding with the launch, Mr Ahmadinejad told a televised rally in the northern province of Mazandaran that Iran would defeat its enemies. “The Iranian nation defends its honour and whichever power that wants to stand against the movement of the Iranian nation, the Iranian nation will crush it under its foot and slap it on the mouth,” he said.
Although he often uses such language, the words contrasted with the conciliatory tone he used to Mr Obama, reminding him that "opportunities that are bestowed up humans are shortlived." Yesteday Mohamed Elbaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Authority, expressed hope that the new president could prompt Tehran to work with the international community.
"If there is a direct dialogue between the United States and Iran, I think Iran will be more forthcoming with the agency," he told a news conference in Prague.
While saying that a nuclear Iran was "unacceptable", Mr Obama has said he would meet Mr Ahmedinejad and would engage in "tough, direct diplomacy".
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