Iran: Missiles Can Reach Ships in Persian Gulf

Source: Al-Manar TV, 18-9-2008
A top adviser of Iran's supreme leader said that in the event of war no ship passing through the oil-rich Gulf region would be beyond the reach of the country's missiles, a government newspaper reported on Thursday.
Iran has said it could respond to any military attack by closing the strait at the southern end of the Gulf through which about 40 percent of the world's traded oil passes. The United States, whose Fifth Fleet is based in the Gulf state of Bahrain, has vowed to keep shipping lanes opened.
"At a time of war no ship can pass through the region of the Persian Gulf without being in the reach of the Revolutionary Guards' coast-to-sea missiles," Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted by the Iran daily as saying.
Rahim-Safavi earlier this week said Khamenei had put the elite Guards in charge of defending the Gulf against any enemy attacks and that they would not hesitate to "confront foreign forces."
The comments came amid persistent speculation about a possible US or "Israeli" strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Iran has dismissed reports of possible US or "Israeli" plans to strike the country, but says it would respond by attacking US interests and "Israel" if any such assault was made.
Iran's air force and defense units held war games this week to test equipment and boost readiness, Iranian media reported.