Iran Denies Developing ICBMs

[CVX]

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
8-23-4

TEHRAN (IRNA) -- Iran Sunday repudiated US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld`s allegations that Tehran may be working to develop missiles capable of reaching the United States.

"Acquiring missiles which could have a range to reach America is a new issue which we hear," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news briefing.

"Such a program is not on our agenda and this propaganda of certain American officials is only for media consumption," he said. Rumsfeld, speaking at the 7th annual Space and Missile Defense Conference Wednesday, named Iran among countries which were allegedly working to develop and deploy missiles capable of reaching the United States.

The US defense secretary cited Iran`s successful testing of an upgraded version of its Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile earlier this month.

The testing followed the launch of the Arrow missile-defense system that reportedly destroyed an incoming ballistic missile in a test off the California coast in July 2004.

Iran, having been wary of Israeli weapons development, has stressed that the missile is defensive, while Iranian military commanders have warned of grave consequences if the Zionist state attacks the country.

The tensions have been heightened by the US campaign to organize international pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear program, which Tehran says is strictly peaceful.

Iran says the program is in accordance with the country`s bid to produce 7,000 megawatts of electricity in the next 20 years, when the country`s oil and gas reserves become overstretched.

The United States, however, claims that Tehran`s nuclear program is a prelude to building an atomic bomb.

[plazul]

This both angers and frightens me. Rumsfeld knows this a totally contrived story designed to increase American tensions over "terrorist nations" going into an election that will be decided on a razor thin margin. His prior deception (slam dunk) on Iraq's WMD borders on treason in my opinion, and now this. Iran has every reason to deploy the missiles it has in its arsenal but they don't have ICBM capability and they don't have anything to arm them with! Why hasn't Janes said anything about this? Can't the public see that these developments don't happen overnight and in the closing months of the race for the White House we have Iran first being accused of building nuclear weapons and now they're saying that they have the systems to deliver them? What kind of fools do they take us for?

I think Rumsfeld ought to be prosecuted and imprisoned for his devious deception because it could be used as another excuse for a preemtive war. Tell him to put up or shut up and don't give us that crap about disclosing intelligence assets.

How's that texas saying go again? Fool me once....

[Tombstone]

Yes, it is getting hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. One of Rumsfeld's roles is to "broadcast" the White House's political agenda and foreign policy thoughts - at a more blunt level.

His comments lets the world know what and where we are looking and what we think about it.

His comments concern me because I just can't distinguish what is real or fabricated anymore. I'm sure there are elements of truth to most things, but it's too easy to spin partial facts into monstrous policy.

[plazul]

The United States and Britain helped to radicalize Iran by installing the Shaw whose secret police rivaled Saddam's for its cruelty and terroristic tactics. Now it's time for us to acknowledge our mistakes and establish a foreign policy that will empower the moderates in Iran to build the national economy and isolate and elimininate radical Islamists that threaten our mutual interests and the future of Islam.

I resent the way the Bush Administration preaches tolerance and then tries to demonize all Iranians as wild eyed Islamists willing to die for jihad. They're a proud people living in fear of the terrorists in their midst and a possible war with Israel and the West. They just want stability and progress and we should help them achieve it.

[capt_buzzard]

Ireland has a stash of ICBMs. The Fairy's build them back in the 1950s The CIA have agents posted in County Kerry at a Fairy Mound.

[plazul]

The Bush Administration doesn't like fairies to begin with so you better tell them to take cover.