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Iran starts production of torpedoes

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Feb 12, IRNA -- Iran Saturday launched a production line of 
torpedoes, with Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani stating that it 
marked completion of `the Islamic Republic`s defensive cycle at sea`. 
Attending the launch, he said Iran`s marine units have now 
achieved an `effective weapon with a complicated and modern 
technology in confronting surface and under-sea threats`. 
He said the torpedoes could be mounted on helicopters, surface 
vessels and submarines. 
"Some of the important features of this weapon are the possibility
to use it in shallow waters, without being spotted by radars, as well 
as its extraordinarily high speed, while being notably 
cost-effective," Shamkhani said. 
The defense minister touched on the `contradictory statements of 
the American authorities as well as their threats`, saying they 
showed `the confusion of the US rulers vis-a-vis a powerful Iran`. 
George W. Bush was quoted last month saying that he `will never 
take any option off the table` when asked whether his regime was 
willing to consider a military action against Tehran`s peaceful 
nuclear program. 
In his State of the Union address, Bush charged that Iran `remains
the world`s primary state sponsor of terror -- pursuing nuclear 
weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and 
deserve`. 
Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely aimed at power 
generation. 
Bush`s bellicose remarks were echoed by his hawkish Vice President
Dick Cheney who has said Israel might strike Iran`s nuclear facilities
`without being asked`. 
The statements came on the backdrop of a report written by 
investigative journalist Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker magazine, 
saying US operatives were staking out targets inside Iran for possible
air strikes. 
Shamkhani said, "Any attack on Iran will be met with a rapid and 
crushing answer of the armed forces and the assault will result in 
nothing than the defeat of the aggressors." 
President Mohammad Khatami Thursday abandoned his usually mild 
tone to warn that Iran would unleash hell if it were attacked. 
"If, God forbid, any aggressor puts its foot on this land, Iran 
will turn into a burning hell for them," he told tens of thousands of 
demonstrators who had gathered at a famous square here to mark the 
26th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. 
"The Iranian nation is not after a war, violence or clashes, but 
the world must know that the Iranians will not tolerate any invasion,"
Khatami said to the chants of `Death to America` and Death to 
`Israel`. 
Shamkhani said Iran continues to strengthen its defensive 
capacity `commensurate with the varying threats which it is faced 
with`. 
Last October, former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani announced 
that Iran has now missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers, saying 
there are `next stages` to the capability. 
"Today, we have the capability to launch missiles with a range of 
2,000 kilometers and those familiar with this type of technology know 
that whoever has this capability can proceed to the next stages," he 
said at a conference on `Space and National Security`. 
Iran seems to have learnt a hard lesson from years of destructive 
war between 1980 and 1988, when most of its major cities, including 
Tehran, came under repeated attack of Iraqi scud missiles by Saddam`s 
regime. 
Rafsanjani`s announcement came days after Iran`s revolutionary 
guards said they were about to test fire a `strategic missile`. 
It also came shortly after a successful test of an upgraded 
version of the Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile. 
Shamkhani said at the time that `given that an effective 
deterrent policy does not halt at a certain point, the Islamic 
Republic of Iran continues upgrading its defensive capability`. 
He said Iran has now acquired an `effective deterrent power` to 
confront its enemies in the region. 
Military experts have said the Shahab-3 missile is capable of 
striking Israel or any other enemy target in the region. 
The test came as Israel`s Arrow missile defense system, designed 
to counter threats such as the Shahab-3, passed its first live test in
July by downing a Scud missile off the coast of California. 
The Arrow-2 missile system, however, failed to destroy the 
detachable warhead of an incoming missile fired by a US Air Force 
aircraft in a test off the coast of California. 
News agencies also said an advanced Israeli spy satellite meant 
to boost the Zionist state`s surveillance over Iran had plunged into 
the sea after a malfunction on liftoff. 
The crash was seen a major setback to Israel`s attempts to 
upgrade methods of gathering intelligence on Iran. 
Iran stresses that its missile program is defensive, while Iranian
military commanders have warned of grave consequences if Israel 
attacks the country. 
Tehran has also repudiated US Defense Secretary Donald H. 
Rumsfeld`s allegations that Iran may be working to develop missiles 
capable of reaching the United States. 
Rumsfeld has named Iran among countries which were allegedly 
working to develop and deploy missiles capable of reaching the United 
States. 
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