Iran says missile test aims to counter Israeli threat

Iran's Shahab-3 missile, which has a range of about 1,296km, during a parade in Tehran. Iran successfully test-fired a new version of the missile on Wednesday. PHOTO: AP

Iran a ballistic missile to strengthen its defense in the face of threats by Israel amid a simmering row over Iran's nuclear ambitions, a senior Iranian security official said on Thursday.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Hassan Rowhani, said his country's nuclear program was aimed solely at generating electricity and not at building nuclear weapons.

Tehran a Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile on Wednesday and defense experts said the weapon could reach Israel or US bases in the Gulf. Last month Iran resumed making parts for uranium enrichment centrifuges, which can create bomb materials.

"Iran has been threatened by some Israeli officials. It's very natural that when our country is being threatened by a foreign country we have to prepare ourselves," Rowhani told a news conference.

"But Iran is totally opposed to weapons of mass destruction. The accusations and allegations raised by some of the countries against the Islamic Republic of Iran -- all of them are totally baseless and unfounded," he said during a visit to Australia's capital, Canberra.

Middle East media have speculated that Israel might try to halt Iran's nuclear program by carrying out air strikes on some atomic facilities in Iran. Iranian officials have said Tehran would retaliate promptly and strongly to any such attack.

The US has been pressing the 35-nation International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board to report Iran to the UN Security Council for hiding its uranium enrichment program from the IAEA for nearly two decades.

But Rowhani said Iran did not feel threatened by the US, which led the invasion of Iraq last year in a bid to find weapons of mass destruction. These have not been unearthed.

He said the US was now struggling to stop Iraq from spiralling into anarchy.

"I think the experience of Iraq would be sufficient for the Americans for years to come not to think of invasion against any other country," Rowhani said.

During his three-day visit, Rowhani met Australian Prime Minister John Howard -- a staunch ally of US President George W. Bush -- and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who urged Iran to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog.

"We are going to continue with our cooperation with the IAEA," Rowhani said.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is fully committed to all disarmament treaties and conventions. At the same time we have also our determination for the applications of nuclear technology for peaceful objectives," he said.