Israeli's Stabbed Georgia In The Back, Helped The Russians To Hack Georgian Drones

A swap deal between Russia and Israel in 2008 provided the Russian military with secret codes for Georgian drones, while Jerusalem obtained access to information on Iranian missile systems, according to fresh publications by Wikileaks.

Georgia purchases its unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel, which later gave Moscow the "data link" code in exchange for codes for Tor-M1 missile complexes that Russia sold to Iran, said a leaked letter attributed to Stratfor private intelligence company.

Whistleblowing site Wikileaks announced on Sunday that it started to publish some five million emails by Stratfor, or Strategic Forecasting Inc., a Texas-based intelligence company founded in 1996 and attested by media as the “shadow CIA.”

Stratfor said that at least some emails could be authentic, but did not elaborate. The company’s website was hacked in 2011 by a group of politicized hackers known as the Anonymous.

Stratfor’s alleged email on the Russian-Israeli swap cited an unnamed source described as a “former Mexican cop, Latam military analyst.” Georgia tried to purchase new drones from a private defense contractor in Mexico in hopes of replacing those compromised in July 2008, a month before its five-day war with Russia over the breakaway province of South Ossetia, in which Russia emerged victorious.

Georgian officials also sought to purchase additional ammunition and helicopters, but the deal fell through because the supplier, Idra, was “advised that it would raise a lot of political complications between Mexico and Russia,” the source said.

“The Georgians were pretty much looking for anyone who would sell to them and were willing to pay top dollar,” the letter said, adding in parantheses: "(This shows how frantic the Georgians were in July knowing that war is coming.)"

Tbilisi later tried to sell the compromised drones to neighboring Azerbaijan, but it remains unclear whether the deal was completed, the source said.

No governments implicated in the deal have commented on the leak as of Wednesday afternoon.

Stratfor’s alleged emails disclosed earlier also named Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika as an informant of the company, saying he supplied it with data on turf wars in the Kremlin. Chaika’s office dismissed the report as “provocation.”

New Report Increases Concerns Over Iranian Nuclear Weapon Program

A new report on Iran's nuclear drive "seriously aggravates existing concerns," said a spokeswoman for the European Union's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton.

The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a report on Tuesday that Maja Kocijancic said "indicate the existence of a full-fledged nuclear weapons program in Iran."

"The new report confirms the continuous expansion of the Iranian enrichment activities, in violation to UN Security Council and IAEA board resolutions, where the increase of capacity to enrich uranium to 20 percent is of particular concern."

Berlin echoed the EU's concern.

"The German government has been concerned for a long time about the progress of Iran's atomic program and its possible true character," said government spokesman Steffen Seibert. "The content of the report natually reinforces these worries considerably."

Most of the report consisted of summarized findings that had already been partially revealed by the agency. There was new information as well, however, for example evidence of a large metal chamber at a military site for nuclear-related explosives testing.

More sanctions?

The UN Security Council has passed four sets of damaging sanctions against Iran over the issue, but on Wednesday veto-wielding Russia ruled out support for more.

"Any additional sanctions against Iran will be interpreted by the international community as a means of changing the regime in Tehran," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

"That approach is unacceptable to us, and the Russian side does not intend to consider such proposals."

Moscow even expressed anger over the publication of the report, saying it could damage efforts to restart stalled talks with Iran. The foreign ministry said it was "gravely disappointed and bewildered."

France and the US, on the other hand, showed a willingness to ratchet up the pressure. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said his country would push for "unprecedented sanctions" if Iran does not answer new questions about its nuclear program.

Israeli officials have remained tight-lipped on the report's findings and Israeli's military radio reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered his cabinet not to comment.

Over the weekend and ahead of the report's release, however, Israeli leaders appeared on domestic and international media outlets and campaigned for increased international pressure on Tehran to halt its nuclear program while the country debated whether it should carry out an airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

"Iran is the greatest danger, both for Israel and for the entire world," Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Sunday.


Iran dismisses report

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the country won't retreat "one iota" from its nuclear program, which he maintains is for civilian purposes.

In a speech broadcast by state television, he said the IAEA was discrediting itself by siding with "absurd" US accusations.

"The Iranian nation is wise. It won't build two bombs against the 20,000 you have," he said in comments apparently directed at the West. "But it builds something you can't respond to: ethics, decency, monotheism and justice."

The EU's Ashton represents six world powers - Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the US - in the frozen negotiations with Iran. Ashton has sent Iran a letter offering to resume negotiations if Tehran comes to the table without pre-conditions. Talks have been suspended since the beginning of the year over Iranian demands that broader nuclear disarmament in the Middle East and economic cooperation be discussed.

Iran May Face Preemptive Strikes Soon Warns Sarko

Photo Courtesy luxo.com 

French President Sarkozy warned Iran of an impending pre-emptive attack due to the dangerous policies it is following."Its military nuclear and ballistic ambitions constitute a growing threat that may lead to a preventive attack against Iranian sites that would provoke a major crisis that France wants to avoid at all costs," he said.

It has been long feared and rumored that Israel is willing to attack Iranian Nuclear sites if it gets the full backing of USA. Some experts believe that US president Bush was very willing to do so. After President Obama took over a rethink of this policy has caused delays.

Unfortunately due to these delays an indecisiveness of Obama regime, Iranian nuclear program is maturing and expanding, making it nearly impossible to attack and destroy in a single pre-emptive strike.

The French leader placed the blame for the crisis on Iran, which insists it has no intention of building a nuclear weapon, and is merely enriching nuclear fuel for medical research and a domestic atomic energy program. "Iran refuses to negotiate seriously," he told an annual meeting of French diplomats. "Iran is carrying out new provocations in response to the challenge from the international community for it to provide a credible response."

Iranian Long Range Missiles Now Hit Targets In Indian Ocean

A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced the successful test-firing of Iran's long-range missiles, saying that the IRGC has succeeded in targeting vessels in the Indian Ocean from a location in Iran's Northern province of Semnan.

Speaking to reporters, Commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said that the test of long-range missiles was conducted in February.

"In Bahman of the last (Iranian) year (January 21- February 20) two IRGC long-range missiles with a range of 1,900km were fired from a region in Semnan province at specified targets in the entrance of the Indian Ocean," Hajizadeh announced.

The commander said that the test was conducted at a time when American forces were also present in the region, and added, "Of course, we had declared that we were having drills in the area and we had closed that specific.

"We even allowed the US spy planes to be present in the region, although they never made an announcement about this issue," he continued.

Following the recent exercises, IRGC Commander Major General Ali Jafari said that his forces demonstrated just part of their capabilities during the military drills.

"Firing missiles from underground silos, hiding the missiles from the enemy, scattering missile stocks and using the element of surprise against the enemy… are issues that have been important for us and we have been working on them for several years… and a part of these capabilities were shown in the Great Messenger drills," Jafari stated on Monday.

Jafari said increasing the capabilities of the Armed Forces has strengthened Iran's deterrent power because of which the enemy was not able to carry out its threats over the past 2-3 years.

The Iranian commander added that Iran would not confine itself to blocking the Strait of Hormuz if any act of aggression was committed against the country.

The Iranian commander said Iran is after plans to fully exploit its defensive potential in the high seas, and added, "… if the enemy attempts to threaten Iran outside the Strait of Hormuz, the country has the power to retaliate and this strategy is currently on our agenda".

ran usually tests its missiles in extensive deserts in the heart of the country, so the firing into the Indian Ocean is an unusual move, aimed to prove Tehran’s longstanding claims it can hit targets beyond its borders.

Television showed a missile being fired but the announcer did not specify if the pictures were of the Indian Ocean test-firing. No pictures were shown of a target being hit at sea.

The announcement came after a 10-day military exercise by the elite Guards that was designed to deter Iran’s enemies by showing Iran is ready and able to hit back at US bases in the Middle East and at Israel.The United States and Israel have not ruled out military strikes on Iran if necessary to stop it getting nuclear weapons.

Iran says it has home-made missiles with a range of 2,000 km, designed specifically to hit US interests and Israel. But it denies it is seeking nuclear bombs and the means to deliver them.

Saudi Arabia To Go Nuclear To Match Iranian Nuclear Weapons

Saudi Arabia will build nuclear weapons if Iran does, warned a Saudi prince.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, a senior diplomat and scion of the ruling Saudi royal family, told senior NATO officials that Riyadh would not stand idle in the event that Tehran developed nuclear arms, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper of Britain.

Proof of the existence of Iranian atomic weapons, he said, "would compel Saudi Arabia … to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences".

A Saudi official in Riyadh backed Turki’s statements, telling the paper: "We cannot live in a situation where Iran has nuclear weapons and we don't. It's as simple as that. If Iran develops a nuclear weapon, that will be unacceptable to us and we will have to follow suit."

Turki reportedly made his comments earlier this month at RAF Molesworth, an airbase in Cambridgeshire, England often used by NATP as an intelligence-gathering site.

According to the Guardian, Turki told NATO officers, that Iran is a "paper tiger with steel claws" that is "meddling and destabilizing" across the Middle East.

Turki added: "Iran … is very sensitive about other countries meddling in its affairs. But it should treat others like it expects to be treated. The [Saudi] kingdom expects Iran to practice what it preaches.

Moreover, diplomatic cables secured by Wikileaks, reveal that Saudi’s King Abdullah has already warned US politicians that if Iran started constructing nuclear weapons "everyone in the region would do the same, including Saudi Arabia".

Turki also blasted Iran of meddling in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Bahrain, where Saudi soldiers have been sent to protect the royal family. (Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim power, while Iran is Shia). In addition, Turki told the Molesworth delegation that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "will cling to power till the last Syrian is killed". "The loss of life [in Syria] in the present internal struggle is deplorable. The government is woefully deficient in its handling of the situation," Turki said at that meeting.

This proxy conflict extends to more unexpected places. Saudi Arabia and Iran are competing in Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh, said Karasik. They are rivals in West Africa, especially in Nigeria, and in Latin America the two nations compete when it comes to building mosques and distributing sectarian literature.

William Hague, Britain's foreign secretary said that Iran has recently conducted covert tests of ballistic missiles as well as at least three secret tests of medium-range ballistic missiles since October.

Iran and the west remain in dispute over its nuclear programme. The US and its allies insist Tehran aims to develop atomic weapons, a charge that Iran rejects.

Rumors of Iran-Venezuela uranium deal ‘a big lie’ Ambassador

Venezuelan Ambassador to Iran David Velasquez has dismissed any type of uranium exchange deal between Venezuela and Iran.

“We have uranium reserves and don’t sell or consume it,” he said, adding that the claim about shipment of uranium from Venezuela to Tehran via Damascus is “a big lie”.

Velasquez made the remarks during a press conference in a ceremony which was held to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Venezuela’s national day at the Venezuelan Embassy in Tehran on Sunday.

Velasquez also said Venezuelan President Huqo Chavez is in good health.

One of the main reasons for the negative propaganda about Chavez’s health in the U.S. and European media is to create a public panic in Venezuela and its friendly countries, Velasquez stated.

The main goal of the Venezuelan government’s opponents at home and abroad is twisting the truth in an attempt to suggest that President Chavez is not able to lead the country any longer and “we should think of finding a successor for him,” he added.

Velasquez said despite imperialists’ will to get news about Chavez’s death, he is in good health and is currently leading the country

US Seeking to Sabotage Pakistan's Nuclear Facilities

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated on Tuesday that Washington is seeking to sabotage and damage Pakistan's nuclear facilities in a bid to undermine the country's security and sovereignty and prolong its military presence in the region.

"We have precise information that the US is seeking to sabotage Pakistan's nuclear facilities in a move to weaken the Pakistani nation and government to dominate that country," Ahmadinejad said in a press conference here in Tehran minutes ago.

He also underlined that Americans also want to use the UN Security Council and other international bodies and organizations as a leverage to pave the way for their extended military deployment in the region and also to weaken Pakistan's national sovereignty.

Ahmadinejad's remarks came nearly two weeks after NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons is a matter of concern.

Pakistan sought on Wednesday to play down Iranian warning that the United States was planning to sabotage its nuclear facilities by emphasising that its atomic programme was safe and secure.

“Pakistan is a nuclear-weapon state. This is an established fact. We do not comment on our strategic programme,” was the brief Foreign Office response to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s warning

Pak-Iran relations have a long history of mistrust. Some officials believe that the warning was a political move by President Ahmadinejad to dissipate the pressure on his own nuclear programme after IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, reported to have received information about existence of possible military dimensions in Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran, Syria And Hizbullah All Together A Happy Family

The leader of Hizbullah a terrorist organisation and Lebanon's Islamist Shiite party has done the obvious. That is to support the last remaining real patron and master left in Lebanon. In a recent report it has become quite clear that Hizbullah has no support among the political parties in Lebanon but is supported, provided for and armed by Syria. Thus it should not come as a surprise that their leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has called upon his longtime mentor Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad to safeguard his regime and his country against western created disturbance steadfastly.

“All indications show that a majority of the Syrian people still support this regime and support Al-Asad,” Nasrallah told a crowd gathered in the eastern Lebanese town of Nabi Sheet on Wednesday to celebrate the 11th anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon. “Al-Asad believes in reform, and he is prepared to undertake far-reaching steps, but in peace, stride and responsibility.”

The friendship between the two started long time back in the 90's when some cleric recognized Al-Asads clan as a part of the Shiite Islam and in return Syria brokered a deal between Hizbullah and its political rivals called Amal.

“Nasrallah’s speech doesn’t surprise me,” Nadim Shehadi, a Lebanon researcher at Chatham House, a London-based think tank, told The Media Line. “In his mind, Syria, Iran and Hizballah are all one front – the resistance alliance.”

“People are burning Hizbullah flags alongside Iranian ones in Syrian demonstrations,” Shehadi said.

Hizbullah until now had kept its distance from the syrian problem but it became increasingly clear that President Bashar Al-Asad is in serious trouble. Thus it was imperative for Hizbullah to try and shore up some support for its main patron.

Omri Nir, a Lebanon expert at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said that Nasrallah’s fear of a religious Sunni regime taking root in Syria stimulated him to break his silence, even though the secular Syrian regime and the religious Shiite Hizbullah differed in their long-term strategies.

Nasralla's hypocracy came to the fore when he tried to justify the Hizbullah attack on TV channel which was broadcasting interviews from the Syrian rebel camp. Funnily it is the same Nasralla who had publicly opposed all the dictatorial regimes in the Arab world calling for a change.Now when his ideas have reached Syria suddenly he has become defensive. Strange

As for Syria , Bashar al-Assad’s Syria will never break with Iran. No matter how hard the West tries to cajole or compel Damascus, the regime will continue to prize its regional role, bolstered by its alliance with Tehran over any improved relationship with regional and Western powers. Indeed it is an alliance worth more to Syria than even the Golan Heights.

The meeting held Thursday night in Damascus between Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a clear message to the West, that as Ahmadinejad declared, the relationship between Syria and Iran is “as solid as ever.”

Assad, for his part, also stressed that the alliance between the two countries would endure, and said that the political situation in the Middle East favored “resistance groups.”

“We hope the day will come when we can celebrate our religious victories and [the opposing forces’] great loss. This day will come.”

Iran Navy Deploys Submarines in High Seas

An informed source told on Tuesday that the submarines were deployed in international waters together with the dispatch of 14th fleet of warships sent by Iran to the high seas.

The move comes after high-ranking Navy commanders announced preparedness to send submarines to long-term missions.

The source said that Iran's fleet of warships is now in the Red Sea as part of its naval mission.

"Identifying combat vessels of the different world countries, collecting information about sea beds in international waters are among the main tasks of these submarines," the source added.

The Iranian Navy dispatched its 14th flotilla of warships to the Gulf of Aden in May to protect the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against Somali pirates.

The 14th fleet of warships, comprised of IRI Bandar Abbas Warship and IRI Shahid Naqdi Destroyer, is tasked with patrolling and providing security for Iran's shipping lines.

In March, a senior Navy commander of the Iranian Army stressed the need for the Navy to boost its naval deployments outside the country's territorial waters as a strategic force.

"The Navy is in the middle of field and should be present all throughout the world seas," Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Gholam-Reza Khadem Biqam said at the time.

Also in March, Commander of Iran's Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that the Iranian Navy planned to expand its operational zone far beyond the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman in the next Iranian year (started on March 21).

In December, Sayyari said that the country was deploying submarines in the high seas to further boost its military power.

"To become the superior power in the region, we should turn into a regional power in military defense, and we should prove our might and capability not only inside, but also outside the region," he continued.

The Iranian Army Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy have tight cooperation in controlling the country's waterways and protecting Iran's interests inside territorial waters and in the high seas.

Iran's naval power has even been acknowledged by foes. In a Sep. 11, 2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy said that in the two decades since the Iraqi imposed war on Iran, the Islamic Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.

According to the report, Iran's Navy has been transformed into a highly motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in control of the world's oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran Ready to Give Crushing Response to US Aggression

(Report Appeared On FARS Iranian News Agency)
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi underlined Tehran's preparedness to give a crushing response to Washington if the latter dares to make an unwise and aggressive move against the country.

"The powerful Iran is prepared to give a firm and crushing response to any unwise and hostile behavior of the US," Vahidi told reporters in Bolivia.

He also reiterated that if the US takes a lesson from its humiliating failures in the Iraqi and Afghan wars, it will never repeat the same and even more painful mistake in Iran.

Asked about the effects of the US sanctions against Iran, Vahidi described the embargoes as illogical and unjustifiable.

"The US regime has always used the inappropriate tool of sanctions to confront the independent countries, and this shows the US administration's weakness and misery," he said.

The United States and Israel have once again intensified their hostile measures against Iran to push the country to give up its progress in the field of nuclear technology.

Iran has warned it could close the strategic Strait of Hormuz if it became the target of a military attack over its nuclear program.

Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the strategic Persian Gulf waterway, is a major oil shipping route.

Meantime, a recent study by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a prestigious American think tank, has found that a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities "is unlikely" to delay the country's program.

The ISIS study also cautioned that an attack against Iran would backfire by compelling the country to acquire nuclear weaponry.

A recent study by a fellow at Harvard's Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, Caitlin Talmadge, warned that Iran could use mines as well as missiles to block the strait, and that "it could take many weeks, even months, to restore the full flow of commerce, and more time still for the oil markets to be convinced that stability had returned."

In a Sep. 11, 2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy also said that in the two decades since the Iran-Iraq War, the Islamic Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.
According to the report, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy (IRGCN) has been transformed into a highly motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in control of the world's oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz.

The study says that if Washington takes military action against the Islamic Republic, the scale of Iran's response would likely be proportional to the scale of the damage inflicted on Iranian assets.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen has also recently warned in Tel Aviv of the unexpected consequences of an Israeli attack on Iran, just as he did during the days of the (George W) Bush administration.

Iranian WMD Arsenal Grows Despite Sanctions

Despite security council sanctions on Iran prohibiting development of Nuclear weapons and their delivery system yet both the ballistic missile program and the nuclear program keeps on growing.

The nuclear program has active support of Russia and the ballistic missile program is being supported by North Korea. It has been reported that Iran has already started enriching weapons grade uranium for its two missiles Shahab-1- and Shahab-2 with the help of Nort Korea. On top of that they have imported 19-20 BM-25 missiles from North Korea.

Beside North Korea it is the Syrians who are actively helping in this clandestine transfer of weapons. South Korea, Nigeria,Singapore,Italy have all confiscated sophisticated weapons and explosives hidden with normal goods either coming from Iran or going to Iran. In some case like in Nigeria some Iranian officials had to flee the country too.

Iran has floated quite a few bogus companies which work like fronts and try to buy dual use products from the west which can be later used for weponization. UN has asked its member countries to move against such firms and maintain strict end-user checks to help prevent this kind of fraud.

Iran claims to break CIA spy ring, arrests 30

Iran has arrested 30 people it says were engaged in a "complex espionage and sabotage network" run by the United States, state media reported.

The network of alleged spies was controlled by the Central Intelligence Agency through US embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Malaysia, according to an intelligence ministry statement posted on the Mehr news agency's website on Saturday.

"Due to the massive intelligence and counterintelligence work by Iranian intelligence agents, a complex espionage and sabotage network linked to America's spy organisation was uncovered and dismantled," the statement said.

"Elite agents of the intelligence ministry in their confrontation with the CIA elements were able to arrest 30 America-linked spies through numerous intelligence and counterintelligence operations."

The statement also said Iran had identified 42 US intelligence officers in the three named countries.

"They engage in collection of information regarding Iran's nuclear, aerospace defence and bio-technology fields," among other areas, the ministry said.

Iran's Intelligence Ministry says it dismantled 'a complex espionage and sabotage network' and uncovered the identities of 42 operatives in various countries.

Tehran claimed that it also had identified and exposed 42 others in connection with the suspected U.S. spy network, according to a widely disseminated statement by the Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

The statement alleged that the network was run by CIA agents via U.S. embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Malaysia and sought to "gather information from scientific, research and academic centers … especially in terms of nuclear energy, aerospace and defense industries and biotechnology" as well as on oil and gas pipelines, telecommunications and electricity networks and border controls.

"Due to the massive intelligence and counterintelligence work by Iranian intelligence agents, a complex espionage and sabotage network linked to America's spy organization was uncovered and dismantled," said the statement, which was read on state television and radio.

None of the claims could be independently verified.

There was no immediate response from U.S. officials. Washington and its allies have for years sought to obtain more information about Iran's nuclear energy and research program, which they believe is ultimately aimed at producing weapons banned under international treaty obligations.

In the Iranian government's worldview, foreign agents and spies are constantly working to violate its sovereignty and undermine its goals. But the detailed nature of Saturday's announcement was unusual.

The purported espionage victory came at a time of major discord within Iran's political and security establishment, with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently having had a public spat over the leadership of the Intelligence Ministry.

Iran said the arrests were conducted by elite Intelligence Ministry units in various sting operations. The nationalities of those arrested and the dates of the arrests were not immediately clear.

The spy network worked under the cover of labour recruitment agencies, the statement posted on Mehr's website said.

"The elites, educated and naive people were recruited to get visas, residency permits, education abroad and employment," it said.

Spying in Iran can carry the death penalty. Washington has had no diplomatic presence in Iran since the 1979 revolution which deposed the US-backed shah and was followed by the lengthy occupation of the US embassy.

Diplomatic cables published by the WikiLeaks website showed the US operated information-gathering desks on Iran in neighbouring countries where diplomats would seek to glean intelligence from travelling Iranians.

The announcement of the arrests comes two days after Barack Obama, the US president, made a speech on the Middle East, reiterating Washington's view that Tehran sponsors terrorism and is seeking nuclear weapons, charges Iran denies.

Iranian Ballistic Missile Program

By Alexander Wilner, Anthony H. Cordesman

In a Feb. 2011 press conference, General Mohammed Ali Jafari, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), unveiled a new, locally developed missile. In reference to the missile, he stated that “as the enemy‟s threats will likely come from the sea, air,and by missiles, the Revolutionary Guard has been equipped with capabilities to neutralize the enemy‟s advanced technology.”.

They provide valuable insight regarding Iran‟s disposition toward the US military presence in the region, its responses to that presence, and ultimately how it intends to confront the US strategically. As a key element of Iran‟s strategic deterrent and doctrine of asymmetric warfare, Iran‟s advancements in ballistic missile technology cannot be ignored. Tehran views ballistic missiles as critical to its national defense. In addition to an effective means for delivering a nuclear warhead, Iran‟s military establishment firmly believes that an effective ballistic missile program provides the country with increased strategic and asymmetric capabilities. Since the early 1980s, Iran has been developing a burgeoning ballistic missile capability based on Russian, North Korean, and Chinese technology. Iran currently possesses the largest ballistic missile inventory in the Middle East, and the country‟s military and scientific establishments are working to increase the sophistication, scale, and reach of its missiles. Tehran sees its missile capabilities as a key element to deter attack as well as a means to strike at high-value targets with little warning, such as Western and Western-backed forces in the region, including US bases in the Persian Gulf.

Of particular note are Iran‟s medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs), which include the Shahab-3 and its longer range variants. Based on the North Korean Nodong-1, the Shahab-3 has a range of 1,000 to1,500km, and can potentially reach targets throughout the Middle East.

Other Iranian MRBMs include variants of the Shahab-3, such as the Shahab-3A, Shahab-3B, Shahab-4 (Ghadr-1), Sejjil, and the BM-25. These missiles have ranges of 1,500 to 2,500km, and are thought to be able to strike at targets throughout the Middle East, Turkey, and southeast Europe.