01/01/2011
Iran will test-fire two long range missiles on Monday during the last day of its naval exercises in the Gulf, a navy commander said.
“Today we will test fire Qader and Nour long range missiles during the drill,” deputy navy Commander Mahmoud Mousavi told state TV, according to Reuters.
On Sunday, Iran successfully test-fired a medium-range surface-to-air missile during navy war games taking place near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Mousavi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
“This medium-range surface-to-air missile is equipped with the latest technology to combat radar-evading targets and intelligent systems which try to disrupt missile navigation,” Mousavi said.
He said it was the first time Iran had tested the missile, which was “domestically designed and built,” according to AFP.
The missile’s launch and the war games are meant to show Iran’s military capabilities at a time that the United States and other Western nations are increasing pressure over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The fact that they are taking place near the Strait of Hormuz has focused attention on Iran’s threats in recent days that it could close the narrow channel at the entrance to the Gulf if more sanctions are imposed.
Twenty percent of the world’s oil passes through the strait, making it the “most important chokepoint” globally, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
