Thaindian News

RIA Novosti
Tehran, July 9 (RIA Novosti) Iran has tested a Shahab-3 missile with a range of 2,000 km, the Alalam TV channel reported Wednesday. The missile is capable of hitting Israel and the US military bases in the Persian Gulf.

The launch took place at an undisclosed desert location as part of the Great Prophet III war games.

Iranian state-run TV reported that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, naval and air units had fired nine long and medium-range missiles in order to “improve combat capability”.

“We have launched the missiles in honour of Iran, to demonstrate just a small part of our military capability,” said Revolutionary Guards air force commander Hossein Salami.

The test of the Shahab-3 missile comes after the Israeli Air Force conducted military exercises involving over 100 Israeli fighters in early June.

The exercises were widely seen as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran has reacted to rumours of an imminent attack by promising to deliver a “powerful blow” to any aggressor and vowing to block the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

The tests occurred even as vessels from the US, Britain and Bahrain held joint exercises in the Persian Gulf.

The US Navy Monday said in a statement that it was holding exercises in the Gulf to “practice the tactics and procedures of protecting maritime infrastructure such as gas and oil installations”.

Iran is currently under three sets of relatively mild UN Security Council sanctions for defying demands to halt uranium enrichment, which it says need for electricity generation.

The US and other Western states have claimed that the programme is geared to produce nuclear weapons.
RIA Novosti