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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
NCRI sez Iran's making missiles to hit Europe
2004-12-02
Iran is working on long-range missiles capable of hitting European capitals, as well as nuclear and chemical warheads, an exile group said on Thursday.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which has in the past given accurate information on some of Iran's nuclear facilities, said Tehran was working on missiles with a range of 1,600 to 1,900 miles, capable of hitting cities such as Berlin.

Iran denies any intention of making long-range ballistic missiles and says its existing medium-range missiles are purely for deterrence.

The NCRI told reporters Iran was carrying out research, testing and making the Ghadr 101 and Ghadr 110 missiles, comparable to advanced Scud E missiles, at the Hemmat Missile Industries Complex.

Ghadr means value or merit in Farsi and Shab-e Ghadr refers to the night the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

The NCRI is a coalition of exiled opposition groups fiercely opposed to Iran's clerical rulers. The State Department lists the NCRI and its armed wing, the People's Mujahideen, as a terrorist organization.

The exiles also said Tehran had in August tested a Shahab-4 missile with a range of 1,200 to 1,900 miles, depending on the weight of the warhead. Shahab means meteor in Farsi.

Iran has acknowledged it can make large numbers of medium-range Shahab-3 ballistic missiles, capable of hitting Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf, but has repeatedly denied Israeli accusations it is developing Shahab-4.

"Militarily speaking, by obtaining long-range and medium-range missiles, the clerics are trying to put many regions of the world, including all of Europe, within their range," NCRI's Ali Safavi told reporters.

The NCRI acknowledged that the missile programs did not contravene international law. It provided site maps and detailed explanations but had no blueprints of the work.

Safavi also said Iran's Shahid Karimi Industrial Group was pursuing nuclear and chemical warheads, but he gave few details.
Posted by:Dan Darling

#11  I've seriously been considering the merits of "The Russian Cold" making the rounds in Tehran. It's a nasty, nasty bug, though.
Posted by: Dishman   2004-12-02 9:34:34 PM  

#10  Desn't anyone remember those "microwave-a-mullah" weapons that we and Israel have at the ready?



Rember to cut slits in the cellophane cover of your lasagna, and leave at the central mosque, Tehran, Iran, Aim weapon at minaret five minutes, A-Bomb making mullahs are dead and, dinner is served.

Posted by: BigEd   2004-12-02 6:56:25 PM  

#9  A prey is normally killed if it's in a place that can be devoured, not for death's sake alone. Hitler attacked Germany's *neighbours* to devour them. Iran can't devour France or Germany, even if it could destroy them. Geographical distance.

I don't think that Iran is mad enough to be thinking of games of global domination as yet -- that's Osama's bid. Iran is trying for the more modest goal of *regional* domination instead. So if anyone's attacked it will be Israel-- otherwise it's indeed deterrence that they want their long-range missiles for, to scare away any more Iraq-invasion-style interventions.
Posted by: Aris Katsaris   2004-12-02 6:24:13 PM  

#8  That's like asking, why would Hitler want to bomb France or invade Russia?

France is the wounded gazelle. Spain is close and they've done it before. Ambition has no friends or alliances, only prey. The easiest prey is always eaten first.
Posted by: 2b   2004-12-02 6:07:39 PM  

#7  Ok ok, but why should Iran want to nuke Berlin? Whats the point in nuking countries that buy your oil? AND will never invade you?
Posted by: True German Ally   2004-12-02 5:56:14 PM  

#6  LOTR, It's faster to say replace NATO with bi-lateral mutual defence treaties.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-12-02 5:50:49 PM  

#5  Wouldn't it be funny if a letter of agreement turned up between Chirac and the Iranians that promised really cheap oil to France for 25 years, if France didn't do anything except veto UNSC resolutions, when Iran nuked Berlin?
Posted by: Anonymoose   2004-12-02 4:58:57 PM  

#4  Perhaps a prod to get the Europeans to actually work towards stopping Iran would be to announce that the US will not retailiate for any nuclear attack on France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, etc.

If Iran hits Poland, Italy, etc, we fry 'em. But the others are fair game.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-12-02 4:28:50 PM  

#3  Oh. Paris was the only coordinates I was planning to give. Well, Athens, too. Yeah, Madrid. OK, Brussels.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-12-02 3:11:22 PM  

#2  I can guarantee you Paris is not on their target list.

Were they stupid enough to bomb Phrawnce, the Frogs would nuke their asses by sundown. And they know it.

They'll probably go after Germany, since the Germans have said nothing is worth going to war over.

(Of course, then we'll have to bomb their islamonazi asses. So I suppose there would be an upside, though I'd hate to see Germany in ruins again.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-12-02 3:01:37 PM  

#1  Do they need assistance with targeting data?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-12-02 2:43:37 PM  

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