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It's a Defensive Weapon -- No Offense!

IRAN NEWS

JULY 26, 1998

During the past few days the White House has expressed concern over what they have called `test-firing' an Iranian missile: Shahab (Meteor) III.

U.S. President Bill Clinton said that, if made operational, the missile could change the "stability dynamics" of the Middle East. During his recent trip to Moscow, U.S. Vice President Al Gore also made references to this issue, saying that the issue is on his agenda for discussion with Russian officials.

This is not the first time that American officials have expressed concern over military technological advancement by the Islamic Republic. The surprising point, however, is that such remarks are made at a time when Washington talks about establishing a dialogue with Iran.

Regarding the Iranian missile, the following points must be taken into consideration:

1. During the Iran-Iraq War, the Islamic Republic suffered great losses. In fact, the Iran-Iraq War is among the bloodiest wars in the 20th century. (In order to show our good will, we won't mention that the war was fueled by the United States.)

A look at the history of this war gives Iran the right to adopt security measures to defend its borders and preserve its territorial integrity. Among such measures is progress in the Iranian military system. With an operational range of 1,300 km, Shahab III is designed for defensive purposes only. Moreover, Iran's relations with neighboring countries are so warm that these countries are not concerned with Iranian missiles; rather, they consider it a weapon to defend their interests, too. In the event of an attack on any neighboring country, the whole region would be threatened. Therefore, increasing regional military strength becomes a necessity.

2. Among regional countries, Iran has the lowest military budget. And the military budget allocated by the Iranian government is for defense, not offense.

3. The manufacture of a missile with such specifications does not require technology so advanced that Iran would need to seek assistance from other countries. Al Gore's remarks appear to be aimed at provoking Iran's friends.

4. Given that American defense experts have already said that Shahab III missile has defense capabilities only, this contradictory attitude of the White House toward Iran indicates that the U.S. administration is once again under heavy pressure from the Zionist lobby.