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Nuclear Deal with Tehran Will Not Eliminate All Threats

(Aviation Week) Bill Sweetman - Iran's linked development of nuclear energy and surface-to-surface missiles is motivating multiple missile-defense programs. Suzanne Maloney, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, suggests that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is not interested in any agreement that does not leave the nation's nuclear capabilities intact. Even if there are successes in the nuclear negotiations, there is evidence that progress in missile development continues. Israeli missile-defense pioneer Uzi Rubin argued that indicators pointing to slowdowns in missile development may be misleading. Rubin cited ongoing space-launch attempts and the May 2013 unveiling of a transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) for the 2,000-km.-range (1,245-mi.) Shahab-3 missile. The TEL was not a prototype: Iran showed a production line and modifications to the unit's design to disguise it as a civilian tractor-trailer. Other developments include Iran's announcement in February 2014 of a multiple reentry vehicle (MRV) payload for the Shahab-3. Rather than a slowdown, Rubin says tests are being concealed. He also warns of progress in adding GPS guidance to missiles.
2015-02-18 00:00:00
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