WarSclerotic

Iran’s English-language television channel Press TV said the tests also included a multiple missile launcher.

“Iran tests two short-range missiles,” Press TV said in a scrolling headline. It earlier said new missiles had been tested, without giving details.

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Iranian state radio, meanwhile, reported on Sunday that the Revolutionary Guards would test-fire a missile on Monday that defense analysts have said could hit Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf region.

Iran says the Shahab 3, which has been tested several times in the past, can travel about 2,000 km.

The missile maneuvers coincided with increased tension in Iran’s nuclear dispute with the West, after last week’s disclosure by the Islamic Republic that it is building a second uranium enrichment plant.

Last May, Iran said it had tested a missile that defense analysts say could hit Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf.

The United States, which along with Israel and other Western nations suspects Iran is seeking to build nuclear bombs, has previously expressed concern about Tehran’s missile program. Iran insists its nuclear work is for peaceful power generation purposes.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly expressed alarm over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and refused to rule out pre-emptive military action to stop Iran developing an atomic weapon.

Israel considers Iran a strategic threat due to its nuclear program, missile development and repeated references by Ahmadinejad to Israel’s destruction.

On Yom Kippur in 1973, a coalition of Arab states launched a surprise attack on Israel. The ensuing conflict, the Yom Kippur War, was particularly costly and traumatic for Israel.