The Iranian regime’s testing of what it claims are ballistic missiles
capable of reaching twelve hundred miles does not mean the United
States is closer to a war with Iran, says U.S. Secretary of Defense
Robert Gates. The diplomatic and economic approach to pressuring Iran
to change its policies is the approach that the U.S. will continue to
follow, he said in a press conference.
But Mr. Gates said the testing shows the danger posed by Iran because of its missile program:
“This
[testing] certainly addresses the doubts raised by the Russians that
the Iranians won’t have a longer-range ballistic missile for ten to
twenty years. The fact is they’ve just tested a missile that has a
pretty extended range. So my view, in the first instance, is we’ve
been saying, as we’ve talked about missile defense in Europe, that
there is a real threat.”
The U.S. and the Czech Republic
recently signed an agreement allowing the U.S. to build an anti-
ballistic missile shield on Czech soil. The U.S. is also hoping to
build ten interceptor missiles in Poland. Such defenses are necessary,
said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, “to counter the threat from
states like Iran that continue to pursue missiles of ever-longer
range.”
At a press conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, Secretary
of State Rice said she had a message for Iran after its missile tests
in the Persian Gulf:
“We will defend American interests and
defend the interest of our allies ... In the Gulf area, the United
States has enhanced its security capacity, its security presence. And
we are working closely with our allies to make certain that they are
capable of defending themselves. And we take very, very strongly our
obligations to help our allies defend themselves. And no one should be
confused about that.”
Secretary of State Rice urged Iran to
engage with the international community in a positive way, and said
there is a clear path for Iran to do so: the recent package of
incentives offered Iran in June by the P-5+1 countries, if Iran
complies with U.N. Security Council demands and fully and verifiably
suspends its uranium enrichment activities. Iran’s leaders ought to
follow that path, said Secretary of State Rice, not that of “threats
against America or threats against America’s allies, because frankly,
it’s not going to do them any good.”
