Hossein Salami, air force commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, said Monday would also see a test-firing of a long-range missile which Iran says has a range of 1,300-2,000 kilometres (800-1,240 miles), capable of reaching arch-foe Israel.

"Tomorrow we will test the long-range Shahab-3 missile," he told state television.

He also told reporters, without elaborating, that the Guards had tested a "multiple missile launcher for the first time" on Sunday. Later in the day, Shahab-1 and Shahab-2 medium-range missiles would be test-fired.

Iran's Fars news agency said the multiple launcher could fire two missiles aimed at separate targets simultaneously.

Salami said Iran was also now capable of firing missiles from mobile launchers.

"This exercise has a message of friendship for friendly countries. For greedy countries that seek to intimidate us, the message is that we are capable of a prompt and crushing response to their animosity," state television's website quoted him as saying.

Dismissing Israel as a potential threat, Salami said: "That regime is not in a position that we need to comment about threats from it."

He said Iran has "increased the precision of our missiles ... Hopefully, these missile tests will contribute to our deterrent and defensive capabilities."

Salami said the Guards will not launch any new type of missile during the exercise which is expected to last several days, but he added that Iran "has boosted the number of missiles and can contain long-term missile conflicts."

Earlier, state media reported that the three short-range missiles fired on Sunday were of the Tondar-69, Fateh-110 and Zelzal versions.

All three weapons, powered by solid fuel, have a range of between 100 and 400 kilometres (60 and 250 miles).

State-owned Press TV broadcast footages of sand-coloured missiles being fired in desert terrain.

Iran's manoeuvres come after US President Barack Obama earlier this month scrapped his predecessor George W. Bush's plan to deploy missile interceptors in Poland and a powerful tracking radar in the Czech Republic by 2013.

He said he had decided to replace the shield with a more mobile system using mainly sea-based interceptors.

In taking the decision, Obama emphasised the threat of Iran's short-range and medium-range missiles instead of the potential danger of its longer-range weapons.

The White House said the intelligence community now believed Iran was developing shorter-range missiles "more rapidly than previously projected," while progressing more slowly than expected with intercontinental missiles.

US ally Israel, most Arab states and parts of Europe -- including much of Turkey -- are within range of the Shahab-3.

Over the past two years, when Bush was still in office, Iran stepped up work on its ballistic missiles, testing a more advanced solid-fuel medium-range missile, and also said it had successfully put a satellite into orbit.

Iran has in the past threatened to target US bases in the region and to block the strategic Gulf Strait of Hormuz waterway for oil tankers if its nuclear sites are attacked.

Israel and the United States have never ruled out a military option to thwart Iran's nuclear drive, which they suspect of having a military aim despite Tehran's denial.

On Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran was building a second uranium enrichment plant, sparking concern by Western leaders.

Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said the new plant on the road from Tehran to the holy city of Qom would operate under IAEA supervision.

The disclosure of the new plant's existence came just days before an October 1 meeting in Geneva between Iran and six world powers to discuss Tehran's disputed atomic programme.

Amin Sabooni, executive editor of the English-language Iran Daily, said it was just a "coincidence" that the missile drills were taking place amid the latest nuclear controversy.

"I don't read much into it. It is just a coincidence that the tests are being done at a time when there is unnecessary noise from the West" over the new atomic plant, he told AFP.

earlier related report
Ahmadinejad dismisses anger over new nuclear site
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brushed off Western criticism over a newly disclosed uranium enrichment plant, and said he was hopeful about upcoming talks to defuse the nuclear standoff.

In a one-hour news conference in New York on Friday, Ahmadinejad took a relatively moderate stance after US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tehran admitted to the UN nuclear watchdog that it had built a second enrichment plant.

Ahmadinejad, who attended the UN General Assembly this week, said Tehran's disclosure was "completely legal," adding: "We actually informed the agency (International Atomic Energy Agency) 18 months ahead of time."

"Is this the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do?" he asked. "I thought we are supposed to be encouraged for taking this action."

Ahmadinejad said Tehran had no problem with the IAEA inspecting the new enrichment facility.

He said Tehran decided to show restraint in responding to the latest Western accusations in hopes that talks between Iran and six major powers in Geneva on Thursday "will go somewhere."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Ahmadinejad late Friday and expressed his "grave concern" over news of Iran's second uranium enrichment plant.

Ban called on Iran to fully implement relevant Security Council resolutions and fully cooperate with the IAEA to resolve "all outstanding concerns related to its nuclear program."

The UN leader "emphasized that the burden of proof is on Iran," read a statement from Ban's spokesperson.

Ban also expressed "his continuing concern" about the human rights situation in Iran, and "reiterated his strong rejection" of Ahmadinejad's "repeated denials of the Holocaust."

The United States and European powers led the outcry Friday claiming that Iran, which had previously declared only one such plant at Natanz, had attempted to dupe the international community.

Following their declaration, Russia expressed its concern and China said it had taken note of the information and had urged Tehran to cooperate with any probe by the IAEA.

The Western leaders made it clear that they did not believe that the site had a civilian role, being what one US official said was "the right size" to produce weapons grade uranium but of no use for nuclear fuel production.

The surprise revelation appeared likely to fuel momentum toward new sanctions against the country, which has already been subjected to three rounds of UN sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment.

Ahmadinejad dismissed US pressure. "Mr Obama is not a nuclear expert," he said. "We have to leave it to the IAEA to carry out its duties."

"What the three countries did (Friday) would have demanded a really strong reaction but we showed restraint, decided to refrain from reacting sharply because we really hope that fundamental changes will start happening and we will work to ensure that these changes will happen," he said.

US, Israeli and other critics suspect Iran is covertly trying to build an atomic weapon, but Iran says it needs nuclear fuel only for civilian power. Russia is building the country's first nuclear power station.

Ahmadinejad was somewhat conciliatory toward Obama, expressing hope "he will succeed in bringing about some changes" and deploring the fact that he was being fed "misinformation" about Iran.

However he oozed contempt toward the French and British leaders.

"Mr Sarkozy and Mr Brown are not very important to us. But based on what Obama said at the UN (about the need for world leaders to work together), we expect his colleagues to take more care not to create unnecessary issues."

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News