Iran Conducts Second Day of Missle Tests

U.S. Plays Down Military Showdown

Iran conducted a second day of high-profile missile tests on Thursday, as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned the Islamic Republic that it would defend Israel or other allies in the region from any attack.

Citing broadcasts on state-run Iranian television, the Associated Press reported out of Tehran that the country had continued an on-going military exercise in the Persian Gulf with another round of missile tests. The tests included the use of more long-range rockets capable of reaching Israel, as well as other devices with what state-controlled media referred to as "special capabilities," though no further details were provided.

If the missile tests were meant as a message to the west, Rice had words of her own for Tehran.

"We are also sending a message to Iran," Rice said, speaking from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. "We will defend American interests and the interests of our allies. . . No one should be confused about that."

Rice's comments and the new missile tests continue a back and forth that has seen both sides combine military exercises and sharp rhetoric in a standoff over Iran's suspected efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran test-fired nine missiles yesterday -- including at least one capable of striking Israel -- and asserted that thousands more are "ready for launch," but Bush administration officials played down the possibility of military action against the Islamic republic and belittled Tehran's claims of progress on its nuclear program.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters the world is not closer to a military confrontation, even though Iran's missile launch came just days after Israel conducted a high-profile military exercise in the Mediterranean. "What we're seeing is a lot of signaling going on," he said, adding that both Israel and Iran "understand [the] consequences" of military action.

Undersecretary of State William J. Burns told Congress that "we view force as an option that is on the table, but a last resort." He said the United States and its allies have made progress in thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions, saying: "While deeply troubling, Iran's real nuclear progress has been less than the sum of its boasts."

The Bush administration's statements contrasted with tougher talk by the presidential candidates.

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican nominee, issued a statement against Iran yesterday morning that the tests "demonstrate again the dangers it poses to its neighbors and to the wider region, especially Israel."

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said that the missile launches show "the threat from Iran's nuclear program is real and it is grave," and that it is necessary to begin "direct, aggressive and sustained diplomacy." The two campaigns then squabbled over whether Obama had supported strong action against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

x With only six months remaining in President Bush's term, senior officials have repeatedly dismissed the possibility of military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. Instead, the administration has stepped up diplomacy, both toughening sanctions and joining other leading nations in sweetening incentives for Iran to suspend its nuclear activities and begins serious negotiations.