WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Obama administration on Monday strongly condemned Iran's test-fire of long-range missiles, saying the "provocative behavior" only get Iran isolated.
Following a series of short-range missile tests, Iran on Monday test-fired the long-range Shahab-3 missile and the surface-to-surface Sajil missile, both reportedly are capable of hitting objectives in Israel, most Arab countries and southern Europe.
A Ghadr 1 class Shahab 3 long range missile rises into the air during a test from an unknown location in central Iran Sept. 28, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
"I would lump any of these into the provocative nature with which Iran has acted on the world stage for a number of years," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, urging Tehran to absorb its nuclear and missile program.
"They have one of two paths that they can take. They can continue the path that they've been on, ... or it can make a decision to step away from its nuclear weapons program and build confidence in the world," said Gibbs.
"To the extent that Iran wants to continue to act more like a police state or a military state than a constructive player in the region, it just will further isolate Iran," said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley.
Iran's missile tests were conducted against increasing international pressure on its nuclear and missile programs. Senior diplomats from the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany will meet with Iran's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili on Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland.
Last Monday, the Iranian government admitted the existence of a second uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom, about 160kilometers southwest of Tehran.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that processing peaceful nuclear technology is Iran's "legal and definitive right, and it will not hold discussions about its undeniable rights."
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired on Monday its home-made multiple-range missiles ahead of a meeting with five permanent UN Security Council member nations plus Germany next week.
The local English language satellite Press TV reported that the test-fired Sejil has a range of 2,000 kilometers and that of Shahab-3 is between 1,300 and 2,000 kilometers. Full story
MOSCOW, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Iran's recent missile launches caused concern, and has asked for restraint, Russian news agencies reported.
"This is not illegal under any international agreements, but of course when missile launches are accompanied by an unresolved situation around Iran's nuclear program, this concerns us," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Lavrov as saying. Full story
PARIS, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- France was deeply concerned over the newly-launched missiles by Iran and urged it to stop the "provocative" actions, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
The recent launch of two intermediate-range missiles reinforced the unease of the Mideast countries and the international community, Foreign Ministry deputy spokeswoman Christine Fages said in a statement. Full story
