Iran launched missiles during military maneuvers

02 November 2006

BBC Arabia

Television reports in Iran that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard fired missiles capable of carrying warheads cluster during a military exercise south of the country began on Thursday and will last ten days.

The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, General Yahya Rahim Safawi had said on Wednesday that the maneuvers under the name "Great Prophet" and include exercises in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman would be a "defense force."

And military experts say that the maximum extent of the Iranian Shihab 3 missile is about two thousand kilometers, which makes it capable of striking Israel and American military bases in the Gulf.

No immediate confirmation of the news from the Iranian authorities.

The Iranian maneuvers at the time of study by the Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to comply with international demands to halt uranium enrichment.

The Western countries fear that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. However, Tehran denies this and says that its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian uses.