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Sat. July 12, 2008
Rice Warns Iran After Missile Tests
JTA Wire Service
The United States will “defend our interests and defend our allies” against an attack by Iran, Condoleezza Rice said after a second day of missile tests. The U.S. secretary of state’s warning, made during a speech in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, came shortly after Iran test-fired missiles capable of reaching Israel for the second day in a row.
“We take very, very strongly our obligations to defend our allies and no one should be confused of that,” she said in a clear reference to Israel.
The tests were a continuation of large-scale war games that began when Iran tested a long-range Shehab-3 missile, according to the Iranian news agency Fars.
“This is a challenge not only for Israel but for the entire world,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in an address.
“The focus now is sanctions and diplomatic action. Israel is the strongest country in the region, and it has proven in the past that it is not afraid to act when its vital interests are threatened.”
Barak said Israel would take into account “a potential for confrontation” in the responses of enemies such as Hamas and Hezbollah to an attack on Iran. He also expressed hope that peace agreements would be reached with the Palestinians and Syrians despite the threat from Iran.
Meanwhile, two U.S. congressman are urging President Bush to send Israel a missile defense radar system. The members of the House of Representatives, Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.), made their request in a letter to Bush following Iran’s missile tests.
Their letter echoed an earlier letter signed by more than 70 members of Congress pressing the president to deploy the AN/TPY-2 system, a U.S. ballistic missile defense early-warning radar system, to Israel as soon as possible.
Iran has tested “nine long- and medium-range missiles, including an upgraded Shabab-3 capable of reaching Israel,” Kirk and Hayman wrote. “The new missile reportedly has a range of 1,250 miles and carries a one-ton conventional warhead.”
The two lawmakers also noted the House’s recent passage of the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, which urged the Department of Defense to launch discussions with Israel about deploying the radar system in Israel as soon as possible to defend against threats from Iran and Syria. “More than two months after our first letter, we strongly urge you to deploy the AN/TPY-2 radar to Israel as soon as possible,” Kirk and Hayman wrote.