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TEHRAN-Iran has developed a 2,000-pound “smart bomb,” official news outlets quoted a Defense Ministry statement as saying on Wednesday.The bomb, named Qased, or Messenger, which has a guidance system, was developed by specialists in the ministry and is operational, the official Islamic Republic News Agency said, adding that it could be dropped from F-4 and F-5 jets.Iran still uses planes, like the F-5, that were supplied by the United States to the government of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who was ousted in the Islamic Revolution of 1979.The two countries are embroiled in a deepening standoff over Iran’s nuclear program, which Western governments suspect is aimed at making atomic bombs, a charge Iran denies.Iran’s government often says it has built new or upgraded weapons, but it rarely gives enough details for analysts to determine their power. Although much of its weaponry is outmoded, analysts say Iran has become proficient at modifying such arms.Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said last year that Iran had designed the Qased bomb but had not yet tested it. He said that only a limited number of countries possessed the technology of “smart and guided weaponry.”The nature of the Qased’s guidance system and its level of sophistication remain unclear.The United States says it prefers a diplomatic resolution to the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program but has not ruled out military action. Iran has threatened to hit back at American interests in the region if it is attacked.
As in the days of Noah....
