Iran warns US as missiles test-fired

Iran has test-fired nine missiles as a warning to the US and Israel that it is ready to retaliate if attacked over its nuclear programmes.

Iran's Shahab-3 rocket has a range of approximately 1,200 miles and Revolutionary Guards air force commander Hossein Salami said his country has thousands of missiles ready to be fired at "pre-determined targets".

TV pictures showed missiles soaring from desert launchpads, leaving long vapour trails.

Mr Salami added: "We warn the enemies who intend to threaten us with military exercises and empty psychological operations that our hand will always be on the trigger and our missiles will always be ready to launch."

News of the test came as the G8 expressed "serious concern" over the country's failure to comply with UN Security Council resolutions calling for all enrichment-related activities to be halted.

The G8 statement said: "We call on Iran to respond to the updated incentives package in a constructive manner."

The statement added: "We also urge Iran to act in a more responsible and constructive manner in the region, particularly in the context of the Middle East peace process and the stability of Iraq and Afghanistan."

The White House said Iran's development of ballistic missiles is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions but it is committed to pursuing a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Last month, six major world powers offered a package of economic incentives to Iran if it suspended its nuclear activities. A senior Iranian official has now said his country expects talks on its disputed nuclear programme to begin within days.

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, speaking on a US TV show, said: "Iran is a great threat. We have to make sure we are working with our allies to apply tightened pressure on Iran."

He said that if he were president, he would combine more direct diplomacy with the threat of much tougher economic sanctions.

Elsewhere, a senior US official said Iran had made only "modest" progress in its nuclear programme because of UN sanctions.

US Under-Secretary of State for political affairs, William Burns, said: "While Iran seeks to create the perception of advancement in its nuclear program, real progress has been more modest."

He added: "It is apparent that Iran has not yet perfected enrichment (of uranium), and as a direct result of UN sanctions, Iran's ability to procure technology or items of significance to its missile programs, even dual-use items, is being impaired."

Moreover, he said key individuals involved in Iran's procurement activities had been cut off from the international financial system by sanctions, and restricted from travel.

However, Mr Burns cautioned that if Tehran continues to refuse to give up its sensitive enrichment work, which the West believes is aimed at building an atomic bomb, there will be consequences.

"Any continuation on its present course will entail high and increasing costs for Iran," he told the House foreign affairs committee, without providing specifics.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

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