IRAN has fired one of the longest-range missiles in its arsenal in a third round of tests meant to demonstrate preparedness for an attack, state TV said yesterday.
The Shahab-3 missile, which can carry a warhead, has a range of up to 1,200 miles so is capable of striking Israel, US Middle East bases and parts of Europe.
Iran have already test-fired Shahab-1 and Shahab-2 missiles. Shahab-1 and Shahab-2 have ranges of about 185 miles and 435 miles respectively.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she does not believe Iran can convince America and other world powers that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, putting Tehran on a course for tougher economic penalties beyond the current “leaky sanctions”.
Defence Secretary Robert Gates played down the effectiveness of military strikes against Iran’s newly disclosed secret uranium-enriching facility.
Mr Gates and Mrs Clinton said economic and diplomatic pressure would have a better chance of changing Iranian policies.
“The reality is, there is no military option that does anything more than buy time,” he told CNN’s State of the Union in an interview. “The Iranians are in a very bad spot now because of this deception, in terms of all of the great powers. And there obviously is the opportunity for severe additional sanctions.”
The nuclear programme, which Iran claims is designed to generate electricity, is at the top of the agenda at a meeting on Thursday in Geneva involving Iran, the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.
Mrs Clinton said: “The Iranians must “present convincing evidence as to the purpose of their nuclear programme. We don’t believe they can present convincing evidence, that it’s only for peaceful purposes, but we are going to put them to the test.”
She told the Iranian government: “Don’t assert it, prove it. They can’t say anything because they’ve said that for years, but they can open their system to the kind of extensive investigation that the facts call for.”