Cox & Forkum: G-8 Party Crasher
Cox & Forkum: Party Crasher
Moscow could aim nuclear weapons at targets in Europe as part of “retaliatory steps” if Washington proceeds with building a missile defense system on the continent, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday.
Speaking to foreign reporters days before he travels to Germany for the annual summit with President Bush and the other Group of Eight leaders, Putin assailed the White House plan to place a radar system in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland. Washington says the system is needed to counter a potential threat from Iran.
In an interview released Monday, Putin suggested that Russia may respond to the threat by aiming its nuclear weapons at Europe.
“If a part of the strategic nuclear potential of the United States appears in Europe and, in the opinion of our military specialists, will threaten us, then we will have to take appropriate steps in response. What kind of steps? We will have to have new targets in Europe,” Putin said, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin. These could be targeted with “ballistic or cruise missiles or maybe a completely new system” he said.
On Monday, Iran’s top security official called the U.S. plans for the missile defense shield a “joke,” saying Tehran’s missiles do not have the capability to reach Europe.
“Claims by U.S. officials that installing a missile defense system in Europe is aimed at confronting Iranian missiles and protecting Europe against Iran is the joke of the year,” Ali Larijani told the state-run IRNA news agency.
“The range of Iran’s missiles doesn’t reach Europe at all,” IRNA quoted Larijani as saying in Iran’s first public reaction to the plans. Larijani is secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the country’s top security decision-making body.
Iran is known to possess a medium-range ballistic missile called the Shahab-3 that has a range of at least 800 miles, capable of striking Israel. In 2005, Iranian officials said they had improved the range of the Shahab-3 to 1,200 miles.
The way Russia has been stalling for Iran in the United Nations Security Council, will not support tough sanctions for them to cease uranium enrichment and cutting nuclear and defense deals with Iran is it any surprise that Iran would NOT support its patron?
The fact is the new Shahab-4 and Shahab-6 missiles have the range to threaten Europe. And guess from where the technology for these multi-stage missiles comes?
Why, Russia and North Korea.
Putin speaks with a FORKED TONGUE and Ali Larijani is a LIAR.
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Technorati Tags: Cox & ForkumRussia, Iran, Putin, Larijani, Shahab-6, Shahab-4, Missile Defense