Iran tests mid-range missiles

An Iranian military commander said Tuesday that forces were testing a mid-range air defense system in southern Iran. Iranian Brig. Gen. Farzad Esmayeeli, commander of an Iranian air defense brigade, said military forces were testing a domestic-made mid-range missile, the Hawk, which he said was good for targets at medium altitudes. Air defense systems used in war games in Iran, he added, are "much more advanced" than those tested last year, the semiofficial Fars News Agency reports. Lt. Com. Hossein Salami, a top leader in the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, added the Iranian military has the missile technology needed to "hit any point it wants." "We are now in such circumstances that the enemies have found out they can't be calm and cool," he was quoted as saying. The Fars report states that the Iranian government maintains an active arms program that serves for defensive purposes only.