LONDON ? Iran announced on Monday it had successfully test fired a cruise missile during naval exercises in the Persian Gulf that have heightened tensions in a diplomatic standoff over Tehran?s nuclear ambitions.
The official news agency IRNA said the missile test was carried out on Monday on the final day of 10 days of maneuvers near the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil-exporting waterway. IRNA quoted Adm. Mahmoud Mousavi, a spokesman for the exercises, as saying the Qader surface-to-sea missile struck its targets with precision and destroyed them.
Iran had previously announced that it intended to test a missile during exercises that raised fears it might attempt to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for tougher international sanctions.
The Qader surface-to-sea cruise missile was unveiled in August. It was said to be capable of striking warships at a range of about 125 miles, a distance that would include some American forces in the Gulf region.
Despite threats from some officials to disrupt shipping through the narrow passage, Admiral Mousavi was quoted as saying on Sunday: ?We won?t disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. We are not after this.?
The announcement of the latest missile test came after Iran?s nuclear agency said its scientists had produced their first nuclear fuel rod despite a sanctions regime to curb a nuclear program Iran insists is peaceful.
The agency said the domestically produced rod had already been inserted into the core of Tehran?s research reactor.
The United Nations has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. The United States and the European Union have additionally imposed their own tough economic and financial penalties to try to curb a program they say could be used to produce a nuclear weapon.
During the exercises, the Iranian Navy also announced it successfully test fired a short-range surface-to-air Mehrab missile on Sunday. Naval commander Adm. Habibollah Sayari told IRNA the message of the war games was ?peace and friendship for all countries in the region? The maneuvers sent a clear message to foreigners that they had no room in the region, IRNA quoted him as saying.
Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=d13823ff890dcbde5f04059f2e3ff0fc
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