September 25, 2012
Iran claims successful test of its air defense system
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York on Sept. 24. Photo by REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Iran said it successfully test-fired a domestically produced anti-aircraft missile system.
The Ra'd air defense system, a midrange missile system, hit a large flying target and destroyed it, the Iranian Fars news agency reported late Monday.
"The indigenous system has been manufactured to confront advanced U.S. jet fighters," Iran's Press TV reported.
Fars quoted Revolutionary Guard Gen. Ali Fadavi as saying the missile system "can reach the entire Persian Gulf coastline and beyond where the U.S. bases are."
The announcement of the successful test comes a day after an Iranian Revolutionary Guard senior commander threatened to launch a pre-emptive attack on Israel and said that any attack by Israel on Iran could start "World War III."
The commander, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, also said that in the case of such a war, Iran also would attack American military bases because, he said, "We cannot imagine the Zionist regime starting a war without America's support."
Israel has threatened to strike Iran's nuclear facilities in an effort to prevent the Islamic Republic from building a nuclear weapon.
