Iran tests cruise missile near Strait of Hormuz
Source: Agencies |
January 3, 2012, Tuesday
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IRAN test-fired a surface-to-surface cruise missile yesterday during a drill that the country's navy chief said proved Tehran was in complete control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, passageway for a sixth of the world's oil supply.
The missile, called Ghader, or Capable in Farsi, was described as an upgraded version of a missile that has been in service before. The official IRNA news agency said the missile "successfully hit its intended target" during the exercise.
No other details were released about Ghader. An earlier version of the same cruise missile had a range of 200 kilometers and could travel at low altitudes. There were suggestions it could counter the US naval presence in the Persian Gulf.
Iran's 10-day navy drill, which ends today, was Tehran's latest show of strength in the face of Western criticism over its nuclear program.
"The Strait of Hormuz is completely under our control," Iran's navy chief Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said after yesterday's test. "We do not allow any enemy to pose threats to our interests."
The latest version of the Ghader was delivered in September to the naval division of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which is assigned to protect Iranian sea borders. At the time, Tehran said the missile was capable of destroying warships.
"In comparison with the previous version, the highly advanced Ghader missile system has been upgraded in terms of its radar, satellite communications, precision in target destruction, as well as range and radar-evading mechanism," said Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi.
State TV showed footage depicting the launch of two missiles, which were fired into the sky and which the TV said could hit targets "hundreds of kilometers away" from the point of origin. The broadcast said two shorter range missiles were also tested.
"We conducted the drill to let everybody know that Iran's defense and deterrence powers on the open seas and the Strait of Hormuz are aimed at defending our borders, resources and our nation," Sayyari said.
The testing came a day after Iran test-fired a surface-to-air missile called Mehrab, or Altar in Farsi, which was described as medium-range.
Iran said the sea maneuvers would cover a 2,000-kilometer stretch of water beyond the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, as well as parts of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
A leading Iranian lawmaker said the maneuvers served as practice for closing the Strait of Hormuz if the West blocks Iran's oil sales.
After top Iranian officials made the same threat a week ago, military commanders emphasized Iran had no intention of blocking the waterway at present.
"We won't disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. We are not after this," the semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted Mousavi as saying.
The missile, called Ghader, or Capable in Farsi, was described as an upgraded version of a missile that has been in service before. The official IRNA news agency said the missile "successfully hit its intended target" during the exercise.
No other details were released about Ghader. An earlier version of the same cruise missile had a range of 200 kilometers and could travel at low altitudes. There were suggestions it could counter the US naval presence in the Persian Gulf.
Iran's 10-day navy drill, which ends today, was Tehran's latest show of strength in the face of Western criticism over its nuclear program.
"The Strait of Hormuz is completely under our control," Iran's navy chief Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said after yesterday's test. "We do not allow any enemy to pose threats to our interests."
The latest version of the Ghader was delivered in September to the naval division of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which is assigned to protect Iranian sea borders. At the time, Tehran said the missile was capable of destroying warships.
"In comparison with the previous version, the highly advanced Ghader missile system has been upgraded in terms of its radar, satellite communications, precision in target destruction, as well as range and radar-evading mechanism," said Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi.
State TV showed footage depicting the launch of two missiles, which were fired into the sky and which the TV said could hit targets "hundreds of kilometers away" from the point of origin. The broadcast said two shorter range missiles were also tested.
"We conducted the drill to let everybody know that Iran's defense and deterrence powers on the open seas and the Strait of Hormuz are aimed at defending our borders, resources and our nation," Sayyari said.
The testing came a day after Iran test-fired a surface-to-air missile called Mehrab, or Altar in Farsi, which was described as medium-range.
Iran said the sea maneuvers would cover a 2,000-kilometer stretch of water beyond the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, as well as parts of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
A leading Iranian lawmaker said the maneuvers served as practice for closing the Strait of Hormuz if the West blocks Iran's oil sales.
After top Iranian officials made the same threat a week ago, military commanders emphasized Iran had no intention of blocking the waterway at present.
"We won't disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. We are not after this," the semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted Mousavi as saying.
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