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Iran Boasts It Can Mass-Produce Shahab-3 Missile
Tehran (AFP) Nov 09, 2004 Iran is capable of mass-producing the Shahab-3, a ballistic missile capable of hitting Israel, Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani said Tuesday. "We are presently able to mass-produce the Shahab-3, just like we do with the Paykan," the minister was quoted as saying by the student news agency ISNA. The Paykan is Iran's ubiquitous national car which has been mass-produced in the country for decades. "We have mastered the technology and we have no limits on the volume of the production," Shamkhani was also quoted as saying by state television. "My task consists of developing defence capabilities, and we have passed our objecctives," the rear admiral added. Iran has recently upgraded the Shahab-3 ballistic missile - believed to be based on a North Korean design - and some officials have said it now has a range of at least 2,000 kilometres (about 1,200 miles). Previous figures had put the missile's range at between 1,300 and 1,700 kilometres, already bringing arch-enemy Israel and US bases in the region well within range. Steady progress made by Iran on its ballistic missile programme is a major cause for concern for the international community, already alarmed over the country's nuclear activities. Many diplomats argue see the ballistic missile programme as proof of a nuclear weapons drive, although Iran insists its missiles are merely a deterrent and conventional in nature. Shamkhani also denied that Iran was interested in developing a missile capable of reaching Europe, something Iran's regional arch-enemy Israel has warned of. "The Zionist regime want people to believe that we are a threat to Europe, but we do not feel threatened by Europe and do not see the necessity," Shamkhani was quoted as saying by ISNA. All rights reserved. � 2004 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
India Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile
Bhubaneshwar, India (AFP) Nov 07, 2004India on Sunday tested a short-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead off its eastern coast, defence sources said. |
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