Iran tests new missile that can reach Europe

Regional stability harmed, US says

TEHRAN - Iran said it successfully test-fired a new generation of long range surface-to-surface missile yesterday - one that could easily strike as far away as southeastern Europe with greater precision than earlier models.

The Sajjil is a solid fuel high-speed missile with a range of about 1,200 miles, Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammed Najjar said on state television. At that range, it could easily strike Iran's foe Israel and go as far as southeastern Europe.

Solid-fuel missiles are more accurate than the liquid fuel missiles of similar range currently possessed by Iran. The country has had a solid-fuel missile with a shorter range - the Fateh, able to fly 120 miles - for several years.

The Islamic Republic News Agency said the test was conducted yesterday, and television showed the missile being fired from a desert launching pad.

Najjar said the missile was a defensive weapon and not a response to threats against Iran. He didn't name any country, but Israel has recently threatened to take military action against Iran to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Najjar said the missile was part of a "defensive, deterrent strategy . . . specifically with defensive objectives."

The defense minister, quoted by Iran state television, said the two-stage missile with two solid-fuel engines has "an extraordinary high capability" but gave no further details. He did not say whether it was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Israel's Foreign Ministry refused comment about the test.

In Washington, the State Department said the missile tests were not good for the stability of the region and were another sign that US plans to construct a missile shield in Europe are critical to international security. Department spokesman Robert Wood said Washington hoped Russia, which has criticized the proposed shield, would recognize the threat posed by Iran and realize the system is not aimed at Russia.

The name "Sajjil" means "baked clay," a reference to a story in the Koran in which birds sent by God drive off an enemy army attacking the holy city of Mecca by pelting them with stones of baked clay.

Iran has intensified its domestic missile development in recent years, raising concerns of the United States and its allies at a time when they accuse the country of seeking to build a nuclear weapon. Iran denies it wants to build a bomb, saying its nuclear program is aimed only at generating electricity.

The Sajjil's range puts it at around the same range as Iran's other farthest-flying missiles - a version of the Shahab-3 unveiled in 2005 and the Ghadr, which was shown off at a September 2007 military parade. The Shahab-3 missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, and its latest versions use a combination of liquid and solid fuel.