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Iran provokes, disturbs with surface-to-surface missile launch

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | December 18, 2009 at 01:10 pm

347 views | 17 Recommendations | 3 comments

This is an update of my Now Public story from this week.

"This amounts to a message to the West. . . "

In the past two days, Iran has test-launched two surface to surface missiles ; as has been noted below, and in various sources.

This Sejil-2 missile is a solid fuel, 2 phase missile with a capacity for striking just under 1300 miles. That is within the range of Israel and US Persian gulf bases. Iranian television asserts that this is a long-range projectile, and not medium range as US spokesman Robert Gibbs had called it.

In addition, Tehran is implicated in a suspicious North Korean aircraft which was halted and which was found to be carrying missile parts, and most likely headed for Tehran. SEE also Jordan's story on Iran seizing an oil field in Iraq

While Americans watch the circus on Capitol Hill and the conference built on lies in Copenhagen, Iran is steadily and pompously preparing for war. Today a plane carrying missile parts was impounded after leaving North Korea. A high ranking official stated the aircraft was likely headed for Iran. The North Korean missile is a product of joint efforts with Teheran, developed in conjunction with Iran's Shehab-5 and Shehab-6 missiles.

Saudi Foreign Minister al-Faisal was quoted in the Jerusalem post today as saying that Teheran's conduct was "suspicious."

Iran also tested its second surface-to-surface missile in just two days. This missile, the Sejil-2, is a two-phase, solid fuel missile with a range of about 1,243 miles, putting both Israel and US military bases in the Persian Gulf at striking distance. Congress passed a bill sanctioning the sale of fuel to Iran, which is the stiffest penalty this White House has handed out thus far. However an Iranian oil official's response to this was that fuel sanctions on the Islamic republic would not cause any problems because Tehran had many suppliers.

Quote

"When we talk about Iran being able to hit Israel and U.S. bases, Iran has been able to do that for years," said Vatanka. "This missile test is about a political message to the West." Representatives of the United States, Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany are scheduled to hold a conference call next week to discuss a possible course of action against Iran because of its nuclear program.

Voice of America.com

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Hugh Askew

at 13:44 on December 18th, 2009

Won't be long till someone decides that all this amounts to provocation, the the bombs and missiles will follow. Then it will be too late, and all the folks that know it all will wag their heads once again.........

fixer69 (not verified)

at 01:24 on December 19th, 2009

This is a very legitimate act of iran in the region. How come the US can sell nuclear missiles and warheads to Israel,giving it the capability to hit Iran and any other arab country in the muslim world,but will not allow Iran to provide itself the nuclear missile? This question has been asked so many times, and i do it once again.