Posted on 04/11/2008 11:57:49 AM PDT by freerepublic_or_die
New satellite imagery exposed a site where Iran was developing long-range ballistic missiles, the Times of London reported Friday.
According to the report, on February 4, Iran announced it had launched a "research rocket" as part of its space program. Experts have estimated since then, however, that the rocket launch was in fact a field test of Shihab-type ballistic missile.
But four days after the launch another intriguing feature of the test became apparent: analysis of photographs taken by the Digital Globe QuickBird satellite indicated that the launch site of Kavoshgar 1, as the Shihab missile was dubbed by the Iranians, is also the site where Iran is busy developing ballistic missiles with a range of about 6,000 km.
The site, about 230 km southeast of Teheran, was previously unknown and its link with the Iranian weapons program was revealed by Jane's Intelligence Review after the images were studied by a former Iraq weapons inspector.
Using a space program as a façade for a weapons program was the path chosen by Korea until it declared it had passed the nuclear weapon threshold.
Geoffrey Forden, a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that there was a recently constructed building on the site, about 40 meters in length, which was similar in form and size to the Taepodong long-range missile assembly facility in North Korea.
Jane's Proliferation editor Avital Johanan said analysis of the Iranian site indicated that Teheran may be about five years away from developing a 6,000 km ballistic missile. This would tie in with American intelligence estimates and underlines why President Bush wants the Polish and Czech components of the US missile defense system to be up and running by 2013.
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
Would not be so sure. If all of Europe is in range of Iranian missles with nukes on them, you really think any of the coming President of the Hillary/Obama/Jimmy Carter school are going to spool up anything in response?
More likely we will hear the same crap we are hearing about Iraq. "Why should we get involved, they didn't attack us".
I wonder how tall a gantry THAT sucker needs...?
About the distance from a platform in Cuba to DC?
We in the US actually stand quite well in face of this specific threat. While the large oceans don’t mean much anymore in most aspects, at least here it’s still a substantial hurdle to overcome. However, what really sets us apart from say Europe is our missile defense shield already operational today. Many folks don’t realize it, but while Obama blabs about unproven technology he’ll get rid of, the reality is that the shield is already operational! http://www.mda.mil/mdalink/html/mdalink.html We not only have some figurehead agency, but we have no kidding operational and positioned Interceptor and SM3 missiles ready to go. We’re fairly well off when it comes to the missile threat, even in S. Korea and Japan you have something that can deal with their threat picture; it’s Europe that has their ass sticking way high in the air. But that may get fixed in the near future, hopefully.
“The Iranian Foreign Ministry insists that development of its long range missile program is for peaceful,domestic purposes only.”
Yes, like a very fast “domestic” airline.
There was a movie about Nostradamus that dealt with this. As I recall, his predictions seem to be unfolding pretty well. 2012?
LOL I was thinking that too
Iran is building missiles and nukes but it seems much of America just doesn’t care....”Dancing with the Stars” is on! Could be “Blasted to the Stars” pretty soon....
Watch for the blue turbans.
It is eerie how it seems to hit on a number of predictions of our time. Very fun to watch though. Unless it comes to pass, that is.
Nostradamus.
The only person who might be able to truly claim...
“I TOLD YOU SO”. (albeit from the grave)
I would like to see the headline: “Israel successfully tests second strike capability’
Today Israel reported that its new Quds Killer laser system has successfully destroyed two dozen missiles in their first stage while also being used as a laser designation to guide in its own nuclear missiles to their targets.
This new system will be put on the 24 nuclear subs that Israel has contracted from US government. Israel today said it had no desire to place a sub(s) in the straight of Hormuz.
Well, his 1999 comet/asteroid/monster from space prediction didn't hit the target but then he was known to play games with times and dates, so his actual date might not have become apparent yet.
Maybe it’s just a 6,000 km underground silo so the Mullahs can watch their missile blast upward from Hell’s little control room.
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