Iranian Missile-Rattling Underscores Need for Missile Defense
James Phillips /
Iran’s launch of a two-stage ballistic missile today, a dramatic demonstration of its growing missile capabilities, was timed to send a message of defiance to Iran’s external adversaries and to boost President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election prospects in Iran’s upcoming elections. It is yet another reminder, if any is required, that the United States urgently must invest in missile defense to blunt Iran’s growing missile threat.
The launch came shortly after President Barack Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and announced a common commitment to halting Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons. Ahmadinejad himself announced the successful test in a speech in Semnan, from where the missile reportedly was launched. (more…)