New Iran destroyer test fires missile - report
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A newly inaugurated Iranian destroyer test fired a surface-to-surface missile in the Gulf on Tuesday, Iran's Fars news agency reported.

The Islamic Republic, embroiled in an escalating row with the West over its nuclear programme, often announces advances in its military capabilities and stages missile tests in an apparent bid to show its readiness to counterattack.

Neither Israel nor the United States have ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute over atomic work the West fears is aimed at making bombs but which Tehran says is for peaceful power generation.

Fars said the Jamaran destroyer, the first Iranian-built warship of its type, launched last month at a ceremony attended by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, successfully test fired the Nour (Light) missile.

"The destroyer's missile system was tested and the firing of the Nour surface-to-surface missile towards the intended target was successfully conducted," the semi-official news agency said.

Much of Iran's naval equipment dates from before the 1979 Islamic revolution and is U.S. made.

The United States said in January it had expanded missile defence systems in and around the Gulf — a waterway crucial for global oil supplies — to counter what it sees as Iran's growing missile threat.

Iran condemned the move and accused Washington of seeking to stoke "Iran phobia".

(Reporting by Hashem Kalantari and Hossein Jaseb; writing by Fredrik Dahl; editing by Michael Roddy)

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Iran's navy successfully test-fires Nour missile
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:48:09 GMT


In February, Iran's Navy launched the first indigenously designed and developed guided missile destroyer Jamaran in the presence of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian Navy has successfully test-fired a new missile from its first indigenously-built Jamaran destroyer in the waters of the Persian Gulf.

The surface-to-surface Nour missile successfully hit its target at a distance of 100 kilometers in the test-fire on Tuesday.

However, military officials announced plans to build an upgraded version of the missile with a range of 300 kilometers.

Jamaran, a multi-mission and guided-missile destroyer, has been launched by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in February.

The Mowdge Class vessel has a displacement of around 1,420 tons and is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare capabilities.

It can carry 120-140 personnel on board and is armed with a variety of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles.

The Iranian Navy plans to add a second home-built destroyer to its fleet within the next two years.

The Iranian Navy also announced that with the successful testing of the Nour missile, the Jamaran destroyer is all ready to engage in peaceful missions in international waters.

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