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TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran successfully test-fired a new domestically-designed and -manufactured missile in a further move to boost its combat capabilities.The Samen missile was launched Monday during an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) military drill in the border city of Marivan in the Western province of Kurdistan, Iran. According to press tv, no further detail on Samen missiles has been disclosed so far. The missile test comes shortly after a Nov. 3 ballistic missile test in the San Diego-based US Third Fleet, which according to the head of the US Missile Defense Agency was a test for the proposed-US missile shield. Lieutenant General Henry Obering III said that along with missile interceptors based in Poland, the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) is intended for providing defense against Iranian missiles. Iran says its ballistic missiles, such as the advanced Shahab-3 capable of hitting targets within a range of 2,000 kilometers, are intended for defensive purposes. During the Monday maneuver, Iranian forces also put to the test IRGC's heavy and semi-heavy artillery and rocket launchers. The Iranian Armed Forces have been holding military exercises on a regular basis after Israel conducted a massive air maneuver over the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece in early June, which according to Pentagon officials, appeared to be a 'dress rehearsal' for a potential bombing attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Israel, the sole possessor of a nuclear arsenal in the Middle East, accuses Iran - a signatory to the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) - of making efforts to develop a nuclear bomb. Iran's advanced Shahab-3 missiles, equipped with a one-ton conventional warhead, are capable of hitting targets within a 2,000-kilometer range. Tehran denies the Israeli claim, insisting that its enrichment program is solely directed at the civilian applications of the technology. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday that Tel Aviv is 'convinced that Iran continues to try to build a nuclear weapon'. "We don't rule out any option. We recommend others don't rule out any option either," added Barak, in regards to US president-elect Barack Obama's plans to engage Iran with direct diplomacy. Israel has long argued that the use of military force is a legitimate option in halting Iran's nuclear progress. An unnamed senior European Union diplomat said last week that a possible Israeli strike against Iran "is not completely off the radar". "Israelis would consider a move such as this before Bush and Cheney leave," said the EU diplomat, adding that once Obama takes office, Israel's chances of striking Iran would become meager. Speculation that Israel could bomb Iran mounted after a big Israeli air drill in June. In the first week of June, 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighters reportedly took part in an exercise over the eastern Mediterranean and Greece, which was interpreted as a dress rehearsal for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear installations. Iran has, in return, warned that it would target Israel and its worldwide interests in case it comes under attack by the Tel Aviv. The United States has also always stressed that military action is a main option for the White House to deter Iran's progress in the field of nuclear technology. Iran has warned that in case of an attack by either the US or Israel, it will target 32 American bases in the Middle East and close the strategic Strait of Hormoz. An estimated 40 percent of the world's oil supply passes through the waterway. In a Sep. 11 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy says that in the two decades since the Iran-Iraq War, the Islamic Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces. According to the report, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy (IRGCN) has been transformed into a highly motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in control of the world's oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz. The study says that if Washington takes military action against the Islamic Republic, the scale of Iran's response would likely be proportional to the scale of the damage inflicted on Iranian assets. Intensified threats by Tel Aviv and Washington of military action against Iran contradict a recent report by 16 US intelligence bodies which endorsed the civilian nature of Iran's nuclear plans and activities. Following the US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) and similar reports by the IAEA head - one in November and the other one in February - which praised Iran's truthfulness about key aspects of its past nuclear activities and announced settlement of outstanding issues with Tehran, any effort to impose further sanctions or launch military attack on Iran seems to be completely irrational. The February report by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, praised Iran's cooperation in clearing up all of the past questions over its nuclear program, vindicating Iran's nuclear program and leaving no justification for any new UN sanctions. The UN nuclear watchdog has also carried out at least 14 surprise inspections of Iran's nuclear sites so far, but found nothing to support West's allegations. Following the said reports by the US and international bodies, many world states have called the UN Security Council pressure against Tehran unjustified, demanding that Iran's case be normalized and returned from the UNSC to the IAEA. Meantime, a recent study by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a prestigious American think tank, has found that a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities "is unlikely" to delay the country's program.As in the days of Noah.....
