Iran buys missiles
capable of hitting Europe
27/04/2006
By Ze'ev Schiff, Haaretz
Correspondent
Iran has
purchased surface-to-surface missiles from North Korea with a range of
2,500 kilometers,
the head of the Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Branch, Major General Amos
Yadlin, said Wednesday.
While Iran already possessed missiles capable of reaching
Israel, the new weapons pose a threat for countries in Europe and parts of the
Middle East that have now come into Iranian range.
Some of the missiles have already arrived in Iran, Yadlin said
in a lecture in memory of Israel's sixth president Haim Herzog, who was also
head of the IDF Intelligence Branch.
The missiles are
known in the West as BM-25s, operate on liquid fuel and are single-stage. The
BM-25 was originally manufactured in the Soviet Union, where the first
generation, adapted for use by Soviet submarines and able to carry a nuclear
warhead, was known as the SSN6. After the Russians retired the missiles from
service, they sold them to the North Koreans, who developed them to carry a
heavier payload.
With this purchase the Iranians have leap-frogged over their
Shihab-4 missile with its range of 2,000 kilometers.
Iran worked for years on the development of the Shihab-3, which
has a range of 1,300 kilometers, and conducted numerous tests. They also
developed a cone with improved ability to enter the atmosphere, which meant it
was more accurate.
The fact that the Shihab-3, when fired from certain areas of
Iran, could hit Israel, spurred Israel on in its development of the Arrow
missile, which can intercept the Shihab-3.
The Iranians are known to be at the early stages of developing
two more long-range missiles. However American intelligence sources say Iran is
at an advanced stage of developing a missile that can carry a nuclear warhead.
The United States has informed the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) of the details of the Iranian missile program.
North Korea has longer range missiles that have been tested a
number of times outside its borders. In one case a missile flew over Japanese
airspace during a test.