United Press International,
Moscow: Although politics obviously prevail in the anti-ballistic missile issue, let's admit that the anti-missile aspect is being fed from a source that is not likely to be depleted any time soon. At any rate, this is what the United States thinks. During her visit to Russia in the middle of May, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the United States could not ignore the threats emanating from Iran and North Korea.
Indeed, these countries are doing all they can to keep America apprehensive. Let's start with Iran. Critics of the U.S. plan to deploy ABM components in Eastern Europe argue with good reason that Iran is very far from developing intercontinental ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, Tehran declared early this year that Iran should speed up preparations to launch its first satellite. Needless to say, it cannot be launched without a carrier.
But even if Tehran is bluffing about the advent of a space era in Iran, it is capable of developing a powerful ballistic missile to hit targets in Europe, Russia included. Iran already has one of the biggest missile arsenals in the Middle East. It is not stinting money or manpower to achieve rapid progress of nuclear technologies, either.
Iran has 40 tactical systems based on the Soviet Scud-B and Scud-C missiles. Code-named Shehab-1 and Shehab-2, they have a maximum range of 180 miles and 300 miles, respectively. The launcher is mounted on a Chinese tractor that can travel at a speed of up to 36 miles per hour.
On July 15, 2000, Iran successfully tested the Shehab-3, a ballistic medium-range missile. In some estimates, it may cover up to 1,200 miles.
This creates a much bigger threat not only to Israel but also to Russia. This range allows the missile to target Russia's Volgograd, Astrakhan and other southern regions with a population of more than 20 million people.
