TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran test-fired nine long- and medium-range missiles Wednesday during war games that officials said aimed to show the country can retaliate against any U.S. and Israeli attack, state television reported.



Gen. Hossein Salami, the air force commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, said the exercise would "demonstrate our resolve and might against enemies who in recent weeks have threatened Iran with harsh language," the TV report said.

Wednesday's war games were being conducted at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which about 40 percent of the world's oil passes. Iran has threatened to shut down traffic in the strait if attacked.

The report showed footage of at least three missiles firing simultaneously, and said the barrage included a new version of the Shahab-3 missile, which officials have said has a range of 1,250 miles and is armed with a 1-ton conventional warhead.

(AP) This image from Iranian Television shows a Shahab-3 missile being launched, which officials have...
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That would put Israel, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan within striking distance.

"Our hands are always on the trigger and our missiles are ready for launch," the official IRNA news agency quoted Salami as saying Wednesday.

The report comes less than a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed fears that Israel and the United States could be preparing to attack his country, calling the possibility a "funny joke."

"I assure you that there won't be any war in the future," Ahmadinejad told a news conference Tuesday during a visit to Malaysia for a summit of developing Muslim nations.

But even as Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials have dismissed the possibility of attack, Tehran has stepped up its warnings of retaliation if the Americans - or Israelis - do launch military action, including threats to hit Israel and U.S. Gulf bases with missiles and stop oil traffic through the vital Gulf region.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Wednesday's tests "evidence that the missile threat is not an imaginary one."

"Those who say that there is no Iranian missile threat against which we should build a missile defense system perhaps ought to talk to the Iranians about their claims," Rice said while traveling in Sofia, Bulgaria.

A White House spokesman called the tests "completely inconsistent with Iran's obligations to the world."

"The Iranian regime only furthers the isolation of the Iranian people from the international community when it engages in this sort of activity," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the National Security Council.

"They should also refrain from further missile tests if they truly seek to gain the trust of the world," he added, speaking from Japan where President Bush is attending the Group of Eight summit.

In late June, Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, who was then the commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said any attempt by Iran to seal off the Strait of Hormuz would be viewed as an act of war. The U.S. 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain, across the Gulf from Iran.

Israel's military sent warplanes over the eastern Mediterranean for a large military exercise in June that U.S. officials described as a possible rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West fears are aimed at producing atomic weapons.

Iran says its nuclear program is geared only toward generating electricity, not weapons.

The Israeli exercise was widely interpreted as a show of force as well as a practice on skills needed to execute a long-range strike mission.

Shaul Mofaz, an Israeli Cabinet minister, set off an international uproar last month by saying in a published interview that Israel would have "no choice" but to attack Iran if it doesn't halt its nuclear program. Mofaz is a former military chief and defense minister, and has been Israel's representative in a strategic dialogue on Iran with U.S. officials.

On Wednesday, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel "does not desire hostility and conflict with Iran."

"But it is clear that the Iranian nuclear program and the Iranian ballistic missile program is a matter of grave concern," Regev said.

The Guards and Iran's regular army routinely hold exercises two or three times a year.

Well, last night Iran did it again,..they "test" fired missles into the Persian Gulf! The very same Gulf I have been underway in on 3 Aircraft Carriers, and one Destroyer.

C'mon Israel!

While I admit almost everything I've seen about Iran and it's current leadership leads me to feel I don't want them to have any military at all, let alone the possibility of nukes, there's also a point I can sympathize with. The US has very much a 'do as I say, not as I do' foreign policy. WE can have nukes, and test fire all the missiles we want, etc.....but any country we don't like can't do the same things. I know, that's a very simplified way to look at it, but I do think it's understandable that other nations might be upset with our seeming heavy-handedness about this kind of thing.

Don't get me wrong, Iran is an extreme case and I'm not saying we should let them do whatever they want. I'm just pointing out that, viewed from the other side of things, we may not be the paragons of virtue on this issue. Even those who think Ahmadinejad is a dangerous fruitcake might disagree with the way the US comes off as the adult speaking to a child. I don't know that there's any other way to do things, either. It's just something that comes to mind whenever I hear about us not wanting other nations to have weapons that we take for granted it is perfectly fine if we have.

I still hope things can be settled before Israel takes any military action. That part of the world is too much a focal point for the other nations, the US, China, Russia, etc. I spend the odd moment worrying over what could happen should Israel decide to strike at Iran.

I think if there is a conflict between the two, Iran's neighbors would just sit back and watch the fireworks. They are scared of that freak as much as we are.

I see your point Mont but we don't use tha argument with the police.

I mean we don't say that since the police have guns so should the bad guy. When Iran stops acting like the bad guy, they can have the guns.

Actually B-man, I think that analogy makes my point!

That whole idea that the US is the world's police is really what I think causes me problems. Why do we get to decide what is or isn't ok for other nations? When it all boils down to the simplest things, it's because we have the power. Our combination of military and financial power lets us dictate to smaller nations, but that doesn't mean we have the moral impetus to do so. I can imagine how most Americans would react if we were forced to change our military based on the whim of another country, especially if that whim contradicted what that very country did for it's own military The basic reaction would be for that other country to piss off and mind it's own business. Well, I imagine it often feels exactly the same from the other side of things.

Our own security concerns may force us to do this kind of dictating to others, but from their perspective I imagine that doesn't seem to make sense or be true. It's an eye of the beholder kind of deal.

Oh, and I'm not so much worried about Iran's neighbors (although there's always the possibility for one of them to do something stupid in the event of an Israeli attack) as the possible repercussions with Russia and China. Those two have seemed to always be on opposite sides of any conflict we have in the middle east. A lot of that was probably cold war maneuvering and posturing, but it still seems to continue.

But Mont, we the United States have been down-sizing our nuclear status since the 80's, and we are not able to rid ourselves of them because of countries like Iran.

Mont, I think the fact that I respect your opinion goes without saying.

However, I do think it is our duty to be the world's police. I used to think otherwise but as the world's biggest superpower, I think it is our duty and obligation to look out for the best interest of humanity.

I think people have become so jaded and distrusting of our government that they don't believe that we do that.

You bring a good point there Mont-man. And I agree. Thing is like the gun control issues and concerns it is the same for countries and the possession of nuclear weapons. Some countries do this procedure legally, and some don't and won't. The U.S. gets inspected by Russians, and Russia gets inspected by Americans in regards to each other's weaponry. This was agreed to I think during the Ronald Reagan administration. Iran on the other hand is refusing to allow any of this agreement, or anything like it in their pursuit of having them and as a matter of fact they still want to claim it is for energy only. And like Makem said it is the countries like Iran who prevents all countries from getting rid of all of these holocaust makers.

Now they say that Iran faked this? They did a little photo-shop or something using a computer or what? As I have read in another site,...A-Jad is just a Fecknoozle!

This is a fairly concise analogy of the brainwashed situation and who has the "right"
to do what............................http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/375.html

If anyone believes that we are going to cake walk into there they're certifiable , or even come close to pulling what we pulled in Iraq , especially with the Chinese deploying defensive bases there, I want NO ONE like you making the call Braintard............not only are you going to piss off the rest of the 1.5 BILLION muslims which totally out number and out flank our complete force, if you piss them all off and scare them enough, *they're all going to strike back together sooner or later, when they've decided that the minorities have killed enough of their people*, but then you're going to risk starting it with China...............for what asshole, the chinese already possess enough intercontinental fire power to completely change the world..............who the phuk do you new world nitwits think you are.......................buncha braindead wankers!!!!!!!!!!!!


What are you accomplishing, PEACE FOR ISREAL , screw Isreal they're no where near worth fighting that fight for nitwit...............................No way no how!


** addition

QUOTE (nibor @ Jul 18 2008, 11:51 AM)

If anyone believes that we are going to cake walk into there they're  certifiable , or even come close to pulling what we pulled in Iraq ,  especially with the Chinese deploying defensive bases there I want NO ONE like you making the call Braintard............not only are you going to piss off the rest of the 1.5 BILLION muslims which totally out number and out flank our complete force if you piss them all off and scare them enough, but you're going to risk starting it with China...............for what asshole, the chinese already possess enough intercontinental fire power to completely change the world. What are you accomplishing, PEACE FOR ISREAL , screw Isreal they're no where near worth fighting that fight for nitwit...............................No way no how!