Iran test-fires missiles near Strait of Hormuz
In this image released by ISIS, commercial satellite imagery from December 9, 2012 showing ongoing construction, a new security perimeter, and new roofing on the two major buildings at the site. International officials engaged in a two-pronged effort Wednesday Dec. 12 2012 to engage Iran over concerns the country may have worked on nuclear weapons, with a U.N. team seeking access to a site linked to such suspected activity and European Union negotiators looking to restart talks with Tehran meant to ease such fears. Emailing a series of commercial satellite photographs to The Associated Press Wednesday, the Institute for Science and International Security said the images showed “a steady pace of what appears to be the “reconstruction” phase of the site which between April and July 2012 had undergone considerable alterations. AP/ISIS
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s navy says it has test-fired a range of weapons during on-going maneuvers near the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
The Monday report by the official IRNA news agency quotes exercise spokesman Adm. Amir Rastgari as saying the Iranian-made air defense system Raad, or Thunder, was among the weapons tested.
Iran says the system fires missiles with a range of 50 kilometers (30 miles), capable of hitting targets at 22,000 meters (75,000 feet).
He said torpedoes and underwater and surface-to-surface rockets were also successfully tested.
The drill began Friday and ends Wednesday. It’s one of a number of exercises Iran holds annually.
Iran has in the past said it might close the strait over Western sanctions, but has not made such threats recently.
