May 20th, 2009
Iran says it has successfully test launched a mid-range surface-to-surface missile, state media have reported.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the Sajjil-2 missile used "advanced technology" and had landed on target.
He was speaking in Semnan, from where the missile, with a range of 2,000km (1,240 miles), was reportedly launched.
The US confirmed the launch had taken place, and reiterated that President Barack Obama was "concerned" about Iran's missile development.
Analysts say the test may be seen as provocative by Iran's Arab neighbours and its opponents in the West.
"The defence minister [Mohammed Najjar] told me today that we launched a Sajjil-2 missile, which is a two-stage missile and it has reached the intended target," Mr Ahmadinejad told a crowd in the northern town.
He said the missile used solid fuel and was "able to go beyond the atmosphere then come back and hit its target".
Solid-fuel missiles are reputedly more accurate than liquid-fuel missiles, which make up the majority of Iran's long-range arsenal.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed that a "successful flight test" had taken place, but said it was not clear if the missile had reached its intended target.
President Obama had well-known concerns about Iran's missile development programme, said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.
He also had "the strong belief that the pursuit of these programmes does not strengthen the security of Iran but instead make them less safe".
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Pentagon said Iran was at a crossroads, and must choose between "continued destabilisation in the region" or pursuing "more normalised" relations with its neighbours and the US.
Source: BBC
