The Muslim nation reportedly has been boasting about a new generation of weapons.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice fired a shot across Iran’s bow Thursday, warning the brazen nation that the United States will not sit idly as it rankles America’s closest ally in the region. Her warning to Iran came amid reports that the Muslim nation test-fired more long-range missiles in exercises designed to prove it can defend itself against the United States or Israel, Iranian state television reported Thursday. “We are sending a message to Iran that we will defend American interests and the interests of our allies,” Rice said Thursday in Georgia as she wrapped up three-day trip to eastern Europe. The Iranian broadcast said that the nation’s weapons – which include a new version of the Shahab-3, which officials have said has a range of 1,250 miles and is armed with a 1-ton conventional warhead – have “special capabilities.” The weapons also include missiles launched from naval ships in the Persian Gulf, torpedoes and surface-to-surface missiles. U.S. State Department officials have expressed concern that such weapons would put Israel, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan all within striking distance.