IRAN FIRES NINE MISSILES
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Iran begins large-scale military drill The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has begun a military exercise and issued a warning that Israel and US naval forces in the Persian Gulf would be prime targets if Iran is attacked. The US is also carrying out drills in the Gulf, which began last week and end on Monday. The US vowed that it would not let Iran block the strategic waterways, which are used to transport significant parts of the Gulf's oil to the rest of the world.

Iran Test-Fires Missiles, State Media Reports - Reuters

Iran has test fired nine long- and medium-range missiles, including one which it has previously said could reach Israel and US bases in the region, state media reported on Wednesday. The tests occurred at a time of increased tension between Iran and Israel over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at making bombs. Iran says its nuclear program is only for power generation.

Tensions Rise Over Iran Iran TV via Reuters Iran said it test-fired a series of long- and medium-range missiles, a move that significantly ratchets up the saber-rattling between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear program. Oil prices reversed their recent slide on the news

Iran tests missiles in Persian Gulf

Ali Akbar Dareini, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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 (2,000 kilometers) and is armed with a 1-ton conventional warhead.

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."

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/0...s-persian-gulf/

Iran tests missiles, heating tension with West
Reuters -
Defiant Iran angers US with missile test AFP
Israel and US Condemn Iranian Missile Test, Call for Halt Bloomberg

McCain, Obama slam Iran

Iran Launches Nine Test Missiles - Glenn Kessler, Washington Post

Iran test-fired nine missiles yesterday -- including at least one capable of striking Israel -- and asserted that thousands more are "ready for launch," but Bush administration officials played down the possibility of military action against the Islamic republic and belittled Tehran's claims of progress on its nuclear program. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters the world is not closer to a military confrontation, even though Iran's missile launch came just days after Israel conducted a high-profile military exercise in the Mediterranean. "What we're seeing is a lot of signaling going on," he said, adding that both Israel and Iran "understand [the] consequences" of military action.

Iran Reports Missile Test, Drawing Rebuke - Cowell and Broad, New York Times

Iranian Revolutionary Guards practicing war-game maneuvers test-fired nine missiles on Wednesday, including at least one the government in Tehran describes as having the range to reach Israel. The tests drew sharp American criticism and came a day after the Iranians had threatened to retaliate against Israel and the United States if attacked. State-run media said the missiles were long- and medium-range weapons, and included the Shahab-3, which Tehran maintains is able to hit targets up to 1,250 miles away from its firing position. Parts of western Iran are within 650 miles of Tel Aviv.

Iran Test-fires Missiles - Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times

With US warships in the Persian Gulf and the rhetoric between Iran and Israel growing more heated, Tehran on Wednesday test-fired nine missiles, including at least one capable of striking Israel and other American allies and interests in the Middle East. The medium- and long-range missiles were launched during military exercises staged by Iran's Revolutionary Guard near the strategic oil shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. State television quoted a top military leader, Gen. Hossein Salami, as saying the war games in the Persian Gulf would "demonstrate our resolve and might against enemies who in recent weeks have threatened Iran with harsh language."

Iran Missile Tests Raise Tensions - David Wood, Baltimore Sun

Iran raised the stakes in an already-jittery Persian Gulf region yesterday by test-firing missiles that it said had a range sufficient to target Israel, US forces in Iraq and southern Europe. The launches came during a period of military elbowing and jostling, including an Israeli exercise last month said by some analysts to be a major rehearsal for an air campaign against Iran's nuclear development facilities. Both the US and Iran have held military exercises in the region this week, and an Iranian threat to close the vital Strait of Hormuz if attacked was met with a sharp American response that no blockage of the strait would be tolerated.

Tehran Missile Tests Fail to Impress - Mitnick and Gertz, Washington Times

US and Israeli officials Wednesday said Iran's test firing of missiles capable of hitting the Jewish state and US interests in the region didn't demonstrate any new capability, and they dismissed the exercise as saber rattling. Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Adm. Morteza Saffari told Arabic state television station Al-Alam Arabic that the military exercises were intended as a show of force against any attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Gates: Missile Test Does Not Make War More Likely - Al Pessin, VOA

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says Wednesday's Iranian missile tests provide further evidence of the need for a European missile defense system, but he says the tests do not make military confrontation with Iran any more likely. Secretary Gates indicated that the Iranian test demonstrated enhanced capability for the country's Shahab Three missile, but he said he could not provide details. Previous versions of the missile are believed to have a range of about 2,000 kilometers, enough to reach from western Iran to the western shore of the Black Sea. Secretary Gates says the test provides evidence to support the US view that Europe needs a system to defend against Iranian missiles.

US Officials React to Iranian Missile Test - Jim Garamone, AFPS

Iran’s test of short- and medium-range missiles is a disturbing development and points to the need for a European missile defense system, Pentagon officials said here today. Iran tested at least seven missiles yesterday, according to news reports, capable of hitting Israel and parts of Europe. “Iran’s development of ballistic missiles is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and completely inconsistent with Iran's obligations to the world,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said to reporters traveling with President Bush in Japan. “The Iranians should stop the development of ballistic missiles, which could be used as a delivery vehicle for a potential nuclear weapon, immediately.” The test “addresses the doubts raised by the Russians that the Iranians won’t have a longer-range ballistic missile for 10 to 20 years,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a Pentagon news conference today. “The fact is, they just tested a pretty extended-range [missile]. The situation demonstrates the emerging missile threat from the Middle East, Pentagon officials said, and the need for a missile defense in Europe. Yesterday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed an agreement with the Czech Republic to emplace a missile-defense radar in that country. The United States continues talks with Poland to emplace the missiles.

Missile Test Ratchets Up Regional Tensions - Tom Baldwin, The Times

Iran flexed its military muscles yesterday by test-firing up to nine missiles near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow strip of water through which much of the world’s oil supplies pass. The show of force was intended to “demonstrate our resolve and might against enemies” - including the United States and Israel - “who in recent weeks have threatened Iran with harsh language,” according to General Hossein Salami, the air force commander of the Revolutionary Guards. Israel and most US military bases across the Middle East would be within striking distance of some of the missiles fired, including the ballistic Shahab-3. Iran has repeatedly threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz if it is attacked.

Iran's Missile Threat - Wall Street Journal editorial

Talk about timing, perhaps fortuitous. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in Prague signing an agreement that's a first step toward protecting Europe from ballistic missile attack. As if on cue, Tehran yesterday tested nine missiles, including several capable of reaching southern Europe, as well as Israel and U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East. Remind us. Who says Iran isn't a threat? The chief naysayer is Moscow, which continues to insist that the planned US-led missile defense for Europe is aimed at defeating Russian missiles, not Iranian ones. This was Vladimir Putin's line, and the new Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, picked it up yesterday, saying that the antimissile system "deeply distresses" Russia and is a threat to its national security. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning that if the system is deployed, "we will be forced to react not with diplomatic, but with military-technical methods." Good to see the Russians haven't lost their subtle touch.

Iran's Provocation - Washington Times editorial

Iran's test fire of nine long-range and medium-range missiles on Wednesday was a shot across the bow. The Iranians are sending a strong signal to both Israel and America that they will not be intimidated by the threat of military action by either nation to abandoning their nuclear ambitions. The limitations of diplomacy and tepid economic sanctions are increasingly apparent to leaders in both Tel Aviv and Washington. The Iranians have only been further emboldened to thumb their nose at the international community.

Tehran's Definite 'Maybe' - David Ignatius, Washington Post opinion

Even in midsummer, Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, wears the three-piece suit of a traditional diplomat. But faithful to the dress code of the Iranian revolution, he doesn't wear a necktie. That mix of symbols is a good snapshot of Iran's hard-and-soft foreign policy these days. The Iranians are signaling that they want talks with the West -- and hinting that they are ready for a serious dialogue with the Great Satan in Washington. But while they discuss engagement, they remain wary of it. The Iranians are almost coquettish: They like being wooed, and they enjoy being the center of attention, but they aren't quite ready to say yes.

Mullahs and Missiles - Peter Brookes, New York Post opinion

It's not unusual for a state to conduct military exercises, but Iran had a lot more in mind when it literally went ballistic yesterday - launching nine medium- and long-range missiles during its "Great Prophet" war games. Without question, this latest round of saber-rattling wasn't just routine defense drills. It was intended, instead, to posture and provoke - and to advance Iranian interests.

Will Iran's Missile Test Result in New U.S. Sanctions Law?
By Andrew Cochran

Today's missile tests by Iran might be the last straw in efforts on Capitol Hill to enact new sanctions. In late June, the Senate Finance Committee passed S.3227, "The Iran Sanctions Act of 2008," which included a host of provisions to isolate Iran's nuclear program and financial system. But that act is opposed by the Administration for several reasons.

Senate leadership could merge S.3227 with another Iran sanctions bill, the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act (S.1430). The ISEA has a different emphasis, that of enabling and encouraging further disinvestment from Iran-related investments (the "divest terror" approach). The ISEA passed the U.S. House last year (HR2347) but has not been passed through the relevant committee in the Senate, the Senate Banking Committee. The lead Senate sponsor is Democratic Senator Barack Obama, and Senate leaders might decide that merging the two bills meets both policy and political goals.

But in an election year with a shortened Congressional session, nothing is certain. Congress would have to iron out any differences between the Senate and House versions before final passage. Any Iran sanctions bill could be subject to Presidential veto if it includes the provisions already opposed by the Administration or if it is attached to another bill also opposed by the President, The lack of committee approval of the ISEA, to date, is a stumbling block to final passage of a merged bill (if that is the intention of Senate leadership).
July 9, 2008 04:20 PM

• <h3 class="entry-title">More sabre-rattling in Iran</h3> The latest military exercises in the Middle East have renewed war jitters

An Unfunny Joke
Posted by Justin Raimondo on July 09, 2008 As Iran was testing long range missiles – which, as Matt Drudge underscored in his headline, ‘can reach Israel’—Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “dismissed fears that Israel and the United States could … [Read More]

Iran Test Fires More Missiles
The Iranian government shows no sign of bristling after a warning from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over yesterday's missile tests.

Rice Responds To Missile Tests<li>Iran Photoshopped Image Of Rockets Firing

Rice Warns Iran That US Will Defend Allies - Shwirtz and Broad, New York Times

The confrontation between Tehran and Washington seemed to sharpen on Thursday as Iran said it tested missiles for a second day and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States would defend its allies and protect its interests against an attack. Ms. Rice was speaking in the former Soviet republic of Georgia at the end of a three-day tour of Eastern Europe. Shortly after she spoke, state-run media in Iran began reporting the new missile tests, which followed a warning from an Iranian official earlier this week that Tehran would strike Tel Aviv and United States interests if Washington attacked it first.

Iran Launches Another Test Missile - Washington Post

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today warned Iran that the United States would defend Israel or other allies in the region from any attack, while Iranian television reported a new round of missiles had been test-fired, which was disputed by a Pentagon official. Citing broadcasts on state-run Iranian television, the Associated Press reported out of Tehran that the country had continued an ongoing military exercise in the Persian Gulf with a second consecutive day of missile tests. The report said the overnight tests -- like those conducted with at least eight missiles yesterday -- included the use of long-range rockets capable of reaching Israel, as well as other devices with what state-controlled media referred to as "special capabilities." No further details were provided. However, a senior Pentagon official said news reports that there were two rounds of tests were incorrect, because all eight missiles were fired on the same day, within hours of one another.

Israel Threatens as Iranian Isolation Deepens - Charles Bremner, The Times

Tehran faced deeper isolation yesterday after a major Western energy company withdrew from a giant Iranian gas field project and international threats to attack the country’s nuclear facilities grew. Total, the French energy group, said that it was freezing its role in a $10 billion project to develop the South Pars fields in the Gulf, the world’s largest gas reserves. The decision was a big step in a US campaign to put pressure on Iran to stop enriching uranium. Iran’s decision to carry out missile tests - with a second round yesterday - also prompted Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defence Minister, to suggest that his country was ready to launch a pre-emptive strike if necessary. “Israel is the strongest country in the region and has proved in the past that it does not hesitate to act when its vital security interests are at stake,” Mr Barak said.

Iran Test Fires Second Round of Missiles - Sonja Pace, VOA

Iran has fired another round of long-range missiles, the second such test in the past two days. The latest test firing came just hours after a warning from the United States about such missile launches. Iran tested yet more missiles overnight. Iranian state television showed pictures of missiles streaking through the night sky. Iranian media said the test launch included medium and long-range missiles and torpedoes. Reports said the weapons were fired from ships in the Persian Gulf and from on the ground. This was the second such test within two days. On Wednesday Iran reported firing nine test missiles, including the long-range Shahab-3, which it says has a range of 2,000 kilometers and could reach Israel and other US allies in the Middle East and South Asia.

Amid Tests, Signs of Weakness - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor

With Iran reporting a second day of missile tests this week, it appears to be intent upon signaling to its adversaries - primarily the United States and Israel - that it is prepared to meet and match both provocations and any eventual attack. But the show of force, which Thursday reportedly included missiles test-fired from ships in the strategically sensitive Persian Gulf, may also be part of an attempt to cover over Iran's weaknesses and to draw attention away from signs that the international community's efforts to curtail Iran's nuclear program are having an impact. Almost lost in an aggressive verbal exchange that continued Thursday - with a reminder to Tehran from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the US will defend its interests and allies - was an announcement by French energy corporation Total. It said it was canceling plans to invest in Iran's energy sector.

Iran's Conflicting Signals to the West - Glenn Kessler, Washington Post

Last week, various Iranian officials made positive comments about a new diplomatic outreach by the United States and its allies, suggesting negotiations on Iran's nuclear program might be possible. This week, Iran test-fired medium-range and long-range missiles, bluntly warning that thousands more were ready to be launched. The conflicting signals are typical of the opaque Islamic republic, with its many competing power centers and complex system of government. But demonstrating strength before negotiations also is a long-tested diplomatic formula, suggesting the missile launches and harsh rhetoric could be a sign that Iran is suddenly open to bargaining.

Israel Will Not Hesitate if Threatened - Spillius and Wheeler, Daily Telegraph

Israel's defence minister warned Iran his country was ready to act if threatened, as Tehran test fired another salvo of missiles capable of hitting the Jewish state. The comments came after Iran conducted military exercises, launching a second round of Shahab 3 ballistic missiles in as many days. With a range of 1,250 miles, the missiles can hit Israel. In response to Iran's war games, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that America would not back down in the face of threats against Israel.

Barak Hints at Israel's Readiness to Strike Iran - Associated Press

Israel's defense minister hinted Thursday that Israel was ready to attack Iran's nuclear program, saying it didn't balk before "when its vital security interests" were at stake. Defense Minister Ehud Barak's allusion to Israel's 1981 airstrike on an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor came at a time of intensified tensions between Israel and its archenemy, Iran. Tehran launched war games and tests of a long-range missile this week after saying Tel Aviv would be "set on fire" if Israel were to attack Iran.

Israel 'Ready to Act' over Iran - BBC News

Israel's defence minister has warned of his country's readiness to act against Iran if it feels threatened. Ehud Barak, speaking in Tel Aviv, said Israel had "proved in the past that it won't hesitate to act when its vital security interests are at stake". He spoke as Iran's testing of missiles that could reach Israel stoked tensions between the two, and with the US. Israel has responded to the missile tests by putting on display one of its aircraft that it says can spy on Iran. The state-run Israel Aerospace Industries says it has equipped its Eitam aeroplane, unveiled a year ago, with sophisticated intelligence-gathering systems.

Ahmadinejad Revels in Iran's New Belligerence - David Blair, Daily Telegraph

Bombastic President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran terrifies the world... but his career hangs in the balance. Of all the leaders who have cast a chill over the world with threats and bravado, only Iran's bombastic president can boast a doctorate in traffic management. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the "over-promoted municipal politician" - as one former envoy in Tehran calls him - once fretted over the pitiful state of the capital's clogged and grimy streets when he served as mayor. Yet he will glory in his country's missile tests this week. Mr Ahmadinejad, revelling in his unofficial status as the world's leading firebrand, has previously claimed that Iran is the world's "number one power" and its very name means a "hard punch in the teeth" for America and her allies.

Playing Chicken - The Times editorial

Iran fired another round of missiles in the Gulf early yesterday, clearly riled that the West had reacted dismissively to its earlier volley of long-range and short-range missiles and angered that its latest warnings on Iranian military retaliation have provoked little more than contemptuous indifference. The United States reiterated its support for Israel and other allies in the region. But US officials made it clear that they did not see the missile tests as an immediate military challenge, nor did they believe that the escalation in tension would lead to war between America and Iran. Their reaction is astute. It gives Iran no excuse to portray itself as the victim of Western aggression. It undercuts the attempt by President Ahmadinejad and zealots in the Revolutionary Guards to provoke a fresh confrontation as a way of diverting domestic attention from their own failures. And it allows the West to focus on steadily increasing economic pressure to isolate the hardliners in Tehran and widen the split with pragmatists angered by their antics.

Tests Seen More as Theater - Mostaghim and Daragahi, Los Angeles Times

A two-day show of force by Iran through the launching of medium- and long-range test missiles was meant to strike fear in the hearts of the country's rivals. Instead, many officials and experts Thursday downplayed the Iranian war games near the Persian Gulf as more propaganda than peril. News reports emerged indicating that Tehran doctored a photo of the launches, and analysts questioned whether the tests revealed any new Iranian capability to strike Israel or other US allies and interests in the Middle East.

Iran's Dangerous Game - Daily Telegraph editorial

These are nerve-racking times in the Middle East. Last month, Israel carried out a major airborne exercise over the Mediterranean, which American officials interpreted as an apparent rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear plants. Yesterday, Tehran continued with test-firing missiles as a warning to the world that any such attack would invite immediate retaliation. This sabre-rattling is taking place against a background of diplomatic manoeuvring in which Germany and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have proposed not to impose further sanctions in return for Iran's freezing its nuclear programme, as a prelude to negotiations. It may be that Tehran's verbal and military flourishes are aimed at strengthening its hand in any such talks.

Iran and Israel's Game of Bluff - Gerard Baker, The Times opinion

When governments undertake grand gestures in the full glare of public attention, the only thing you can be sure of is that they do not mean what they appear to mean. That's a useful rule of thumb to apply to any exercise in public diplomacy but it's especially helpful when trying to fathom the volatile politics of the Middle East. There has been a certain choreographed quality to events in the skies over the eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf in the last month. This week Iran fired a volley of medium-range missiles into the skies over the Gulf, demonstrating its capacity to hit targets in Israel. A month ago, Israeli warplanes carried out large and fearsome warplane exercises over the Mediterranean that looked like a practice run for a bombing raid on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Altered Missile Test Photo Makes Front Pages - Nizza and Witty, The Lede

As news spread across the world of Iran’s provocative missile tests, so did an image of four missiles heading skyward in unison. Unfortunately, it appeared to contain one too many missiles, a point that had not emerged before the photo was used on the front pages of The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times, The Chicago Tribune and several other newspapers as well as on BBC News, MSNBC, Yahoo! News, NYTimes.com and many other major news Web sites.