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Iran Test-Fires Its Longest-Range Missile
Written: 12-16-2009
Rapture Forum Staff: Chris
As we've seen from the news in recent days, there seems to be a serious and dangerous escalation of events in the Middle East as Iran continues to defy the international community and bascially thumb it's nose at the sanctions that have so far been imposed on them. According to reports today in the news, Iran fired off one of it's longest-range missiles in an effort to show it's strength and try to ward off an attack on it's nuclear facilities. The Fox News agency reported:
Iran on Wednesday test-fired an upgraded version of its most advanced missile, which is capable of hitting Israel and parts of Europe, in a new show of strength aimed at preventing any military strike against it amid the nuclear standoff with the West. The test stoked tensions between Iran and the West, which is pressing Tehran to rein in its nuclear program. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it showed the need for tougher U.N. sanctions on Iran. "This is a matter of serious concern to the international community and it does make the case for us moving further on sanctions. We will treat this with the seriousness it deserves," Brown said after talks with U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon in Copenhagen.
The news report went on to further describe the test launch as being that of one of Iran's longest-range missiles, the Sajjil-2. According to the report:
Wednesday's test was for the latest version of Iran's longest-range missile, the Sajjil-2, with a range of about 1,200 miles. That range places Israel, Iran's sworn enemy, well within reach, as well as U.S. bases in the Gulf region and parts of southeastern Europe.
To add more drama to the test launch, Iran has continously threatened to strike Israel and Western interests in the region should it's nuclear program come under attack.
Iran has repeatedly warned it will retaliate if Israel or the United States carries out military strikes against its nuclear facilities, at a time when the U.S. and its allies accuse Tehran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies the claim, saying its program is intended solely to generate electricity.
As we can see from above, Iran claims that their nuclear program is for the peaceful purpose of generating electricity. However, after yesterday's reports of Iran working for two-years on the UD3 project, these claims by Iran do not hold up to further scrutiny. The world community knows that Iran is lying and that they are working very hard to acquire weapons of mass destruction namely the nuclear bomb. The Iranians went on to boast about the test launch and claimed that it provided a serious threat to anyone who decided to attack them.
Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi vowed that the Sajjil-2 would be a "strong deterrent" against any possible foreign attack. He said the new version can be fired more quickly and flies faster than previous ones making it harder to shoot down, though he did not give further details. "Given its high speed," he said, speaking on state TV, "it is impossible to destroy the missile with anti-missile systems because of its radar-evading ability."
Despite the unexpected launch and increased rhetoric from the Iranians after the test launch today of the Sajjil-2 missile, the United States claimed that the launch was nothing new and that it did not show anything new that was not already known. The Jerusalem Post reported:
The new medium-range missile tested by Iran is "not particularly different than what we've seen in the past," said Pentagon defense spokesman Geoff Morrell on Wednesday, according to a Reuters report. The report quoted Morrell as saying that US intelligence shows the missile - said to be capable of targeting parts of Israel - is not a sign of advanced military capabilities acquired by Teheran. The White House condemned Iran's test of the upgraded missile earlier on Wednesday, saying that the experiment undermines Teheran's insistence of peaceful intentions, and will be looked upon seriously by the world.
While the test launch itself did not reveal any new discoveries about the state of the Iranian military arsenal, the test does show that when coupled with the events of the past few days that it appears that this is just one more thing to help show that things are certainly about to reach a climax in the Middle East. The United States went on to condemn the test launch and was very critical of the new development:
"At a time when the international community has offered Iran opportunities to begin to build trust and confidence, Iran's missile tests only undermine Iran's claims of peaceful intentions," White House spokesman Mike Hammer said. "Such actions will increase the seriousness and resolve of the international community to hold Iran accountable for its continued defiance of its international obligations on its nuclear program," he said.
Other countries issued similar comdemnations and regrets as well, including that of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. However, it was noted that Israel declined to comment on the test launch. The increased production of missile and missile related technology has been of great concern to Israel lately and it will continue to be an issue in the future as Iran remains unfazed by the current sanctions placed on it and continues to work unhindered on their nuclear program. These missiles can eventually be fitted with nuclear weapons should Iran finally develop one, which would have disasterous consequences for Israel should Iran follow through with their threats to destroy Israel. I seriously can't imagine Israel waiting much longer before doing something about Iran. It is crystal clear for anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear that Iran is not going to back down when it comes to halting their nuclear ambitions. I'm afraid that Israel is going to have to do this job alone and hopefully they will do it soon before Iran can follow up on their evil threats and ambitions.
Let us continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem as time is getting very short here in these last days. With all that is going on in the world, keep looking up your redmeption is drawing nigh!!
God bless.
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