Iran warns it would increase missile range if threatened by Europe

[rooster59]

Iran warns it would increase missile range if threatened by Europe

By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin

 

FILE PHOTO: Iran's national flags are seen on a square in Tehran February 10, 2012, a day before the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - The deputy head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Europe that if it threatens Tehran, the Guards will increase the range of missiles to above 2,000 kilometres, the Fars news agency reported on Saturday.

 

France has called for an “uncompromising” dialogue with Iran about its ballistic missile programme and a possible negotiation over the issue separate from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

 

Iran has repeatedly said its missile programme is defensive and not negotiable.

 

"If we have kept the range of our missiles to 2,000 kilometres, it’s not due to lack of technology. ... We are following a strategic doctrine," Brigadier General Hossein Salami said, according to Fars.

 

"So far we have felt that Europe is not a threat, so we did not increase the range of our missiles. But if Europe wants to turn into a threat, we will increase the range of our missiles," he added.

 

The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards military force, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said last month that Iran’s 2,000-kilometre missile range could cover "most of American interest and forces" within the region, so Iran did not need to extend it.

 

Jafari said the ballistic missile range was based on the limits set by the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the head of armed forces.

 

Iran has one of the Middle East’s largest missile programmes and some of its precision-guided missiles have the range to strike Israel.

 

"POLITICAL AND SPIRITUAL" SUPPORT

 

The United States accused Iran this month of supplying Yemen’s Houthi rebels with a missile that was fired into Saudi Arabia in July and called for the United Nations to hold Tehran accountable for violating two U.N. Security Council resolutions.

 

Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with missiles and weapons.

 

“Yemen is in total blockade. How could we have given them any missile?" Salami said, according to the Fars report on Saturday. "If Iran can send a missile to Yemen, it shows the incapability of (the Saudi coalition). But we have not given them missiles.”

 

Salami said the Houthis managed to increase the range and precision of their missiles in a "scientific breakthrough."

 

Jafari, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, said on Thursday that Iran only provides “advisory and spiritual” assistances to the Houthis.

 

Iran long denied sending fighters to Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad in the fight against the rebels, and said the Revolutionary Guards' presence on the ground was advisory.

 

In what seemed to be a correction of Jafari's comments, Salami said on Saturday that Iran’s support for the Houthis was "political and spiritual."

 

The United States has imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, saying its missile tests violate a U.N. resolution that calls on Tehran not to undertake activities related to missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

 

The United States says Iran’s missile programme is a breach of international law because the missiles could carry nuclear warheads in the future.

 

Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons and says its nuclear programme is for civilian uses only.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-26

[canuckamuck]

I don't think the world would miss these guys if they went out in a mushroom cloud. And they cause more trouble than North Korea.

[craigt3365]

19 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

I don't think the world would miss these guys if they went out in a mushroom cloud. And they cause more trouble than North Korea.

The Iranians are basically good people. Sadly, their government is horrible.

[canuckamuck]

12 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

The Iranians are basically good people. Sadly, their government is horrible.

I sure the lay people are. But it is their government and above their government, their religious leaders which make it a pariah state.

Edited November 26, 2017 by canuckamuck

[ezzra]

10 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

The Iranians are basically good people. Sadly, their government is horrible.

The so called 'good people of Iran' has elected those mad mullahs in overwhelming majority, to run the  country and it's foreign policies, is there anyone out there that still thing that Iran has good intentions developing those nuclear ICBM's?.....

[craigt3365]

10 hours ago, ezzra said:

The so called 'good people of Iran' has elected those mad mullahs in overwhelming majority, to run the country and it's foreign policies, is there anyone out there that still thing that Iran has good intentions developing those nuclear ICBM's?.....

Iran is not a democracy and the elections are far from being democratic. As usual, the average person suffers.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/05/why-do-iranians-even-bother-voting/526866/

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, canuckamuck said:

I sure the lay people are. But it is their government and above their government, their religious leaders which make it a pariah state.

Same problem in many countries. Even the US.

 

I read a report that years ago the US invited Iraqi officials to the US for research on how to create a government free from religious interface. They gave each one some money. On which is written...in God we trust.

 

Right....they weren't impressed.

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

North Korea will soon be neutralized and Iran is next. The failures of liberalism and appeasement are ancient history and America is fortunate to finally have a POTENT leader who will no longer allow rouge states to terrorize the world with weapons of mass destruction.


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[billd766]

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The United States says Iran’s missile programme is a breach of international law because the missiles could carry nuclear warheads in the future.

 

How strange that the USA says that Iran is in breach of international law because the USA has decided that the missles could  carry nuclear weapons in the future.

 

How many nuclear missles does the USA have, or Russia, China, UK, France, Israel. AFAIR the USA has over 7,000, Russia perhaps a few less, China nobody really knows, the UK and France maybe 100 or so between them. Israwl does not officially have any but the refuse point blank to all ANY inspections at all.

 

Iran is NOT threatening any country with a nuclear attack unlike the POTUS, and AFAIR the only country that HAS used nuclear weapons is the USA.

 

Iran is not threatening any country but it does want to defend itself.

[hawker9000]

22 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

North Korea will soon be neutralized and Iran is next. The failures of liberalism and appeasement are ancient history and America is fortunate to finally have a POTENT leader who will no longer allow rouge states to terrorize the world with weapons of mass destruction.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wish I could share your optimism.  The can has been kicked too far down the road for far too long by far less competent predecessors.  Trump has the big picture, but I'm not sure he's been left in any position to undo all the previous damage and restore enough of the lost credibility.  And then there's the deplorable state into which the armed forces have descended.  It's like trying to herd cats.

 

Yeah.  There were 3 carriers in the Sea of Japan to participate in an international show of force for N. Korea's benefit (Reagan, Nimitz & Roosevelt), but in order to do that there were NO deployed carriers anywhere else (i.e., Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, N. Arabian Sea), circumstances of which you can be sure Iran was well aware!

 

[billd766]

31 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

North Korea will soon be neutralized and Iran is next. The failures of liberalism and appeasement are ancient history and America is fortunate to finally have a POTENT leader who will no longer allow rouge states to terrorize the world with weapons of mass destruction.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The country with the most nuclear weapons, and who is threatening to use them to terrorize the world and bring it closer to destruction is actually the USA under the POTUS.

[billd766]

16 minutes ago, hawker9000 said:

I wish I could share your optimism.  The can has been kicked too far down the road for far too long by far less competent predecessors.  Trump has the big picture, but I'm not sure he's been left in any position to undo all the previous damage and restore enough of the lost credibility.  And then there's the deplorable state into which the armed forces have descended.  It's like trying to herd cats.

 

Yeah.  There were 3 carriers in the Sea of Japan to participate in an international show of force for N. Korea's benefit (Reagan, Nimitz & Roosevelt), but in order to do that there were NO deployed carriers anywhere else (i.e., Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, N. Arabian Sea), circumstances of which you can be sure Iran was well aware!

 

 

Actually the USA has 20 aircraft carriers available  and the carrier strike groups were here on August 4th 2017. https://southfront.org/us-carrier-strike-groups-locations-map-august-4-2017/

 

They were here on 23rd November

 

https://worldview.stratfor.com/topic/tracking-us-naval-power

 

Your post is not quite correct as there are more than 3 US carrier groups available.

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

Iran just wants to defend itself? What a joke. Formenting instability around the region, Yemen, now Lebanon soon to be forced again, into the abyss. If course the constant support of terror against Israel.



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[DeaconJohn]

1 minute ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

Iran just wants to defend itself? What a joke. Formenting instability around the region, Yemen, now Lebanon soon to be forced again, into the abyss. If course the constant support of terror against Israel.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That last sentence gave your game away.

 

[Thaidream]

The US has the largest military budget in the history of the World. The US Congress just authorized $70 Billion more bringing the total military budget to $700 Billion- more than any country in the World.  And to what end?  Americans have no universal healthcare; are burdened with federal, state and local taxes making it impossible to get ahead financially; and are saddled with some of the highest university costs in the World. What good does it do if you can destroy any country in the World with nuclear and conventional weapons if your own citizens are being pushed into third World status to pay for it.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, ezzra said:

The so called 'good people of Iran' has elected those mad mullahs

I believe that those "mad mullahs" are not elected by the people (the electorate) of Iran, ie., to the parliament.

It is the Assembly of Experts composed solely of mullahs (clerics) who are "elected" by the President. However, the real power in Iran lies with the Unelected Institutions (sound familiar?). They control the Guardian Council who must vet parliament candidates. 

See Iran flow chart below: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8051750.stm

 

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, billd766 said:

...

Iran is not threatening any country but it does want to defend itself.

Incorrect.

Quote

IRAN THREATENS TO DESTROY ISRAEL'S TEL AVIV, BUT GULF ARAB STATES APPEAR CLOSER TO FORMER FOE

http://www.newsweek.com/iran-threaten-destroy-israel-tel-aviv-gulf-arab-increase-relations-667045

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, DeaconJohn said:

That last sentence gave your game away.

 

Pot / Kettle / Black. 

[craigt3365]

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

 

How strange that the USA says that Iran is in breach of international law because the USA has decided that the missles could  carry nuclear weapons in the future.

 

How many nuclear missles does the USA have, or Russia, China, UK, France, Israel. AFAIR the USA has over 7,000, Russia perhaps a few less, China nobody really knows, the UK and France maybe 100 or so between them. Israwl does not officially have any but the refuse point blank to all ANY inspections at all.

 

Iran is NOT threatening any country with a nuclear attack unlike the POTUS, and AFAIR the only country that HAS used nuclear weapons is the USA.

 

Iran is not threatening any country but it does want to defend itself.

It's not just the U.S., it's the U.N. which is involved here. And has been for years.

 

How many nukes other countries have is irrelevant. This is about non proliferation. Especially regarding a country like Iran.

 

Iran hasn't threatened any one else? Seriously? Good gosh. An absolute lie.

[craigt3365]

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

 

The country with the most nuclear weapons, and who is threatening to use them to terrorize the world and bring it closer to destruction is actually the USA under the POTUS.

Your anti US stance is poking out bigly. LOL.

 

Can we get back to the OP? Iran, Europe, missiles. LOL

[Thaidream]

Iran is threatening everyone- the Us; Europe; Israel and now Saudi Arabia.  However, it is time for other Nations to step up and not rely on the US to continually use its military forces in every dispute and for every threat. However, Trump is doing just that. His insane increase in the US Defence budget and his allowing the military to increase US forces in the Middle East is setting that stage for a future confrontation. In addition, the Us gives Israel $3Billion each year.

How is America being made great by stoking confrontation and challenging Iran while other countries provide universal health care for its citizens and are willing to fight to the last American. Trump is a sucker and he is suckering the American population into thinking might makes right. The only thing that is happening is Americans are becoming poorer and Iran and Russia know it and are encouraging it as they know a  Nation that does not care for its citizens eventually withers and dies.

[Morch]

The OP's headline and first part is about Iranian comments regarding Europe. The second deals with USA allegations, accusations and actions vs. Iran. Most of the posts deal with the latter, but that's been done to death, guess each to his own.

 

The context of the Iranian warning (or threat, depends how one reads it), was Macron's comments regarding a possible negotiation with Iran on the subject of it's ballistic missile program. From what I've read, it was pretty much the usual diplomatic fare, nothing of par with the sort of statements Trump often makes. Interesting that the Iranian response to this would be as belligerent as it was. Even more so considering the slights directed at Marcon - if he's as clueless and powerless, then why the over-reaction?

 

Iran is obviously not going to scrap its ballistic missile program, and it is possible that the whole thing was their own version of drawing a line - that is, no to USA pressure, and no to a third-party "compromise" suggestion (which amounts to the same thing, really). Another angle, may have to do with Iran's displeasure at the active role Macron played in the Hariri thing - cutting him back to size, sort of.

 

The statement was made by Macron, the warning (or threat) was addressed at Europe at large. Not, perhaps, the most subtle way to put things. Again, hard to say if it was intended, but I'd wager so - might undermine Macron a bit, what with neighbors and partners weary of being dragged into this.

[Foozool]

They are at the end of the line. Things will be changed soon. They are digging their own. 

[retarius]

54 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Iran is threatening everyone- the Us; Europe; Israel and now Saudi Arabia.  However, it is time for other Nations to step up and not rely on the US to continually use its military forces in every dispute and for every threat. However, Trump is doing just that. His insane increase in the US Defence budget and his allowing the military to increase US forces in the Middle East is setting that stage for a future confrontation. In addition, the Us gives Israel $3Billion each year.

How is America being made great by stoking confrontation and challenging Iran while other countries provide universal health care for its citizens and are willing to fight to the last American. Trump is a sucker and he is suckering the American population into thinking might

makes right. The only thing that is happening is Americans are becoming poorer and Iran and Russia know it and are encouraging it as they know a  Nation that does not care for its citizens eventually withers and dies.

Iran hasn't threatened anybody since Cyrus and Xerxes. The mistranslated so-called 'threat' actually said "Israel will eventually disappear from the pages of history" (which as a Farsi idiom meaning that such a situation is temporary) which is a little less terrifying than "we will wipe you off the face of the earth" for which there is no such idiom in Farsi. The US translator thought it would play better in the news as a direct threat.

 

Look how many wars Iran has been involved in in the last 70 years....2 wars have been fought with Iraq and that's it....and the US was behind the second war supplying Saddam Hussein with gas to gas the Iranians with our good friend Donald Rumsfeld doing the selling as Sec of defense under Bush 1. 

Ask yourself how many missiles has Israel fired at Iran in the last 20 years....hundreds along with hundreds of violations of air spaces. Now ask yourself how many wars of choice has the US been involved in and then ask how many of those countries attacked US first. I can't think of one....although Afghanistan did allow al Qaeda (now the US's best mate in Syria) to set up shop on their soil. They have been involved in 50 conflicts overt and covert over the past 70 years....none have made the world a better place and in total millions of innocent people's lives have been blighted, millions of orphans created, hundreds of thousands of people got cancer from Agent Orange and atomic bombs....

The Axis of Evil is US-Israel-Saudi working together to kill millions in the middle east. Iran is a bit player, resisting it.....Hezbollah is a political organisation that has a separate militia.....the militia was formed to kick Israel out of Southern Lebanon which it did . Hezbollah is rather like the IRA was in the 1970s with Sinn Fein (political wing) and the Provisional IRA (the militia).

People need to stop  getting their daily dose of ignorance from the tube and to read more widely to find out what is not included in your western media and to question what you read. Ask yourself always cui bono (who benefits) for each action reported. For example ask yourself why Assad supposedly sets off a new gas attack every time he is gaining ground and winning? It makes no sense, no matter who says it is true. 

 

 

[Morch]

3 minutes ago, retarius said:

Iran hasn't threatened anybody since Cyrus and Xerxes. The mistranslated so-called 'threat' actually said "Israel will eventually disappear from the pages of history" (which as a Farsi idiom meaning that such a situation is temporary) which is a little less terrifying than "we will wipe you off the face of the earth" for which there is no such idiom in Farsi. The US translator thought it would play better in the news as a direct threat.

 

Look how many wars Iran has been involved in in the last 70 years....2 wars have been fought with Iraq and that's it....and the US was behind the second war supplying Saddam Hussein with gas to gas the Iranians with our good friend Donald Rumsfeld doing the selling as Sec of defense under Bush 1. 

Ask yourself how many missiles has Israel fired at Iran in the last 20 years....hundreds along with hundreds of violations of air spaces. Now ask yourself how many wars of choice has the US been involved in and then ask how many of those countries attacked US first. I can't think of one....although Afghanistan did allow al Qaeda (now the US's best mate in Syria) to set up shop on their soil. They have been involved in 50 conflicts overt and covert over the past 70 years....none have made the world a better place and in total millions of innocent people's lives have been blighted, millions of orphans created, hundreds of thousands of people got cancer from Agent Orange and atomic bombs....

The Axis of Evil is US-Israel-Saudi working together to kill millions in the middle east. Iran is a bit player, resisting it.....Hezbollah is a political organisation that has a separate militia.....the militia was formed to kick Israel out of Southern Lebanon which it did . Hezbollah is rather like the IRA was in the 1970s with Sinn Fein (political wing) and the Provisional IRA (the militia).

People need to stop  getting their daily dose of ignorance from the tube and to read more widely to find out what is not included in your western media and to question what you read. Ask yourself always cui bono (who benefits) for each action reported. For example ask yourself why Assad supposedly sets off a new gas attack every time he is gaining ground and winning? It makes no sense, no matter who says it is true. 

 

 

 

Mostly BS.

[ilostmypassword]

9 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

I sure the lay people are. But it is their government and above their government, their religious leaders which make it a pariah state.

A pariah state that most of the world is eager to do business with. With the exception mainly of the USA and some hardline Sunni nations.

[craigt3365]

3 minutes ago, retarius said:

Iran hasn't threatened anybody since Cyrus and Xerxes. The mistranslated so-called 'threat' actually said "Israel will eventually disappear from the pages of history" (which as a Farsi idiom meaning that such a situation is temporary) which is a little less terrifying than "we will wipe you off the face of the earth" for which there is no such idiom in Farsi. The US translator thought it would play better in the news as a direct threat.

 

http://www.newsweek.com/iran-threaten-destroy-israel-tel-aviv-gulf-arab-increase-relations-667045

IRAN THREATENS TO DESTROY ISRAEL'S TEL AVIV, BUT GULF ARAB STATES APPEAR CLOSER TO FORMER FOE
BY TOM O'CONNOR ON 9/18/17 AT 12:43 PM

[craigt3365]

2 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

Mostly BS.

He almost always posts BS.

[ilostmypassword]

6 hours ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

North Korea will soon be neutralized and Iran is next. The failures of liberalism and appeasement are ancient history and America is fortunate to finally have a POTENT leader who will no longer allow rouge states to terrorize the world with weapons of mass destruction.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We've been hearing about the imminent demise of North Korea ever since Trump dispatched that naval armada way back in April. Any day now. Just like Jesus' return.

[Thaidream]

Retarus has a certain point in that the US has been involved in several wars/actions over the last 70 years. In my mind, the only one that made any real sense is WWII and  Korea.  The rest were involvement because of America's belief it had to lead the World in intervention anytime the US or its Allies felt threatened.

However, ISIS is a real and existential threat and needs to be controlled.  Iran, while threatening countries is not a real threat itself but it is known to fund and train terrorist movements and thus has to be neutralized. However, as I mentioned, the US does not have to be involved in any of this. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and  Israel can carry the loan and fund the resistance.

The real threat to include NKorea involves nuclear proliferation and the possibility of a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of a terrorist group like ISIS that would surely explode it in a Western city to destroy the 'infidels'.

As a American, I am tired of America continually expanding its military while its so called allies are willing to fight to the last American.  IMHO, it is time for America to get American military out of Europe and the Middle East.  America's destiny is in Asia.  Let Europe take care of its own defense and the Middle Eastern Nations do the same.