Iran Announces New Missile - (range of 1,200 miles)

[Breeze54]

Iran Announces New Missile

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/world/middleeast/28iran.html?ex=1353906000&en=b9e8ae4d6711191a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

By NAZILA FATHI
Published: November 28, 2007

TEHRAN, Nov. 27—

Iran announced Tuesday that it has produced a new missile called Ashura with a range of 1,200 miles, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported.

Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, the defense minister, said in a meeting with the Basij militia force that the Ministry of Defense had produced the missile, along with tanks, rockets, submarines and advanced communication systems, the news agency reported.

Iran had developed a medium-range ballistic missile known called Shahab-3 with a range of 800 miles. Officials said in 2005 that the range of Shahab-3, meaning the shooting star, was increased to 1,200 miles. It was not clear what the difference was between Ashura, the new missile, and the one announced in 2005.

In another development, a spokesman for the Judiciary said today the court had dismissed spying charges against a senior official, ISNA news agency reported. The spokesman, Alireza Jamshidi, said today the court had dismissed spying charges and possession of confidential documents against Hossein Moussavian, a former nuclear negotiator. But, he said, Mr. Moussavian was found guilty of “propagating against the regime.” He did not elaborate what the charge meant but he said the case would be finalized within the next three to four days.

Mr. Moussavian was arrested in May. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said this month that Mr. Moussavian was a spy, and the minister of interior said he had passed information to the British.