On Sunday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard tested three short-range missiles, with a range of 90-120 miles. Today, Iran tested its Shahab-3 and Sajjil rockets, which have a range of up to 1,240 miles. Analysts claim that these latest missiles could threaten both Israel and US forces in the Gulf. In fact, a Revolutionary Guard official has stated, “Iranian missiles are able to target any place that threatens Iran."
As we discussed in class, one of the reasons that negotiated settlements aren't available between rational actors is because countries often misrepresent their capabilities. With the first direct talks between the U.S. and Iran set for Thursday in Geneva, it could very well be that Iran is trying to appear more capable than it really is. However, last week we were given an example of how Iran also conceals its capabilities when Iran revealed to the world that it had a second plant for uranimum enrichment. Accurate intelligence on the true capabilities of Iran would provide greater insight into Iran's intentions and is necessary for the proper development of a US security strategy against Iran.
1 comment:
I don't think this is about mis-representing capabilities. Iran borrowed a play from the DPRK: when they start ganging up on you, do something crazy.
So, everyone on board for sanctions, Iran fires missiles. The reason? "Um, we ran out of storage space."
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