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US officials: Iran missile may be more advanced

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-21 10:20

WASHINGTON – The missile test-fired by Iran is the longest-range solid-propellent missile it has launched yet, a US government official said Wednesday, raising concerns about whether the sophistication of Tehran's missile program is increasing.

The test-firing of a new medium-range surface to surface missile, named Sejil-2, at an undisclosed location in Iran. [Agencies]

The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss technical details of Iran's missile program, said Tehran has demonstrated shorter-range solid-propellent missiles in the past.

Solid-propellent rockets are a concern because they can be fueled in advance and moved or hidden in silos, the official said. Liquid-propellent rockets have to be fueled and fired quickly, which makes preparations for launches easier to monitor and would allow a preemptive strike if necessary.

But according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who Wednesday provided the first official US confirmation of the Iranian launch, the Iranian missile had a range of 2,000 to 2,500 kilometers.

That translates to 1,200 to 1,500 miles, putting Israel, US bases in the Mideast, and parts of Eastern Europe within striking distance.

Related readings:  Iran tests missile as election race starts  Iran says it tests missile, Israel within range  Israeli PM to press Obama on nuclear Iran   Iran test-fired new missile: defense minister  Iran develops air-to-air missile, radar-evading aircraft

"The information that I have read indicates that it was a successful flight test," Gates told the House Appropriations Committee nearly eight hours after the test was announced by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Gates added that "because of some of the problems they've had with their engines we think at least at this stage of the testing we think it's probably closer to the lower end of that range. Whether it hit the target that it was intended for, I have not seen any information on that."

US officials said that government analysts and other specialists were still assessing information from the launch.

"Obviously, that's concerning," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said of the launch.

Iran's launch comes less than a month before Iran's presidential election and just two days after President Barack Obama declared a readiness to seek deeper international sanctions against Tehran if it did not respond positively to US attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear program. Obama said earlier this week that Tehran had until the end of the year to show it wanted to engage with Washington.

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