Tehran, Jun 28 : Iran on Tuesday test-fired 14 missiles including Shahab-1, Shahab-2, Shahab -3 and Zelzal missile.
The Iranian-made surface-to-surface missiles, with a maximum range of 2,000 km, were fired simultaneously at a single target, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division emphasised Iran's preparedness to strike Israel and US interests in the event of any attack on Iran.
“The range of our missiles has been designed based on American bases in the region as well as the Zionist regime,” Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh told the semi-official Fars news agency.
Washington and Israel have said they do not rule out military strikes on Iran if diplomatic means fail to stop it developing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies its nuclear program is aimed at building bombs.
IRNA said the Guards fired nine Zelzal missiles, two Shahab-1s, two Shahab-2s and one upgraded Shahab-3 missile.
A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander claimed on Tuesday that his country is capable of producing even longer range missiles than the ones it now has but won't make them because Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf are already within its reach.
The remarks by Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Guard's Aerospace Force, came as Iran is conducting 10 days of war games, its latest show of military force amid a standoff with the West over the country's controversial nuclear program.
Hajizadeh said the Guard's arsenal already includes missiles with a range of about 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) -- putting Israel, U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf and parts of southeastern and eastern Europe within Iran's reach.
The missiles, he said, were specifically designed for Israeli and U.S. targets. Iran's known missiles of such range are the Shahab-3 and the Sajjil. Iran considers Israel and United States its top enemies.
"There is no threat from any country to us other than the U.S. and the Zionist regime," Hajizadeh was quoted by the semiofficial Fars news agency. "The range of our missiles has been designed on the basis of the distance to the Zionist regime and the U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf region."
Hajizadeh said Iran "possess the technology" but will not manufacture missiles with a range over 1,250 miles. He gave no details. "We have no intention to produce such missiles."
Western intelligence reports say Iran is seeking to acquire the capability to produce inter-continental missiles with a range of up to 3,750 miles (6,000 kilometers), a claim Iran has denied.
Hajizadeh said some U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan are as close as 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Iran's borders and can easily be hit by Iran in case of an attack.
The powerful Guard, which is in charge of Iran's missile program, kicked off the war games on Monday by unveiling an underground smart missile silos for the first time, claiming that medium- and long-range missiles stored in them are ready to launch if Iran was attacked.
The silos are widely viewed as a strategic asset for Iran in the event of a U.S. or Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities.
Iran remains locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program, which the U.S. and its allies suspect is aimed at developing atomic weapons. Iran rejects the charges, and says the program is only for peaceful purposes.
Washington and Israel have said they do not rule out military strikes on Iran if diplomatic means fail to stop it developing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies its nuclear program is aimed at building bombs.
Iranian officials have previously announced that the Shahab 3 can reach targets up to 2,000 km away, putting Israel and US bases in the Gulf within reach.
“The Americans have reduced our labours,” Hajizadeh told Fars. “Their military bases in the region are in a range of 130, 250 and maximum 700 km in Afghanistan which we can hit with these missiles.”
The ‘Great Prophet 6′ war games, to be carried out on land and sea, are a “message of peace and friendship to countries of the region,” Hajizadeh said on Monday.
Asked whether Iranian missiles were a threat to Europe, Hajizadeh told IRNA that while Iran had the technological capacity to build longer-range missiles, the 2,000-km range had been chosen precisely with Israel and US bases in mind.“Except American and the Zionist regime, we do not feel a threat from any other country,” he said.
