Irans military gets new missile system

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran's military received a new ballistic missile system on Sunday, which it said demonstrated the country's self-sufficiency in mass producing weaponry.

"The new surface-to-surface missiles, Qiyam (Resurrection) 1, were successfully tested and delivered to the armed forces today," Iran's Arabic-language state television channel Al Alam said.

It did not disclose the range of the missile, delivered to the aerospace wing of the elite Revolutionary Guards, but said it was designed to be less easily detected than older models.

"The mass production of the Qiyam missile, the first without stabiliser fins, shows the Islamic Republic of Iran's self-sufficiency in producing various types of missiles," Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.

Iran is at loggerheads with major powers over its nuclear work, which it says is peaceful and intended solely for generating electricity but which Washington and its allies fear is aimed at making nuclear bombs.

Israel sees the potential of a nuclear armed Iran which refuses to recognise the Jewish state and supports militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah as a major threat and both it and its ally Washington do not rule out military action to prevent such a scenario.

Iran has said it would respond to any attack by targeting U.S. interests and Israel.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110522/wl_nm/us_iran_missile