Turkey expressed concern on Wednesday over a recent missile test by Iran, saying that it threatened stability in the region.
Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said two weeks ago they had carried out a successful test of the Shihab-3 surface-to-surface missile, which has a range of around 1,300 kilometers and is capable of reaching Israel.
Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Huzeyin Dirioz said in a written statement that Ankara had several times in the past informed Tehran of its concerns regarding Iran's missile-development program.
"We deem it useful to remind once again that efforts aimed at spreading the said missiles and increasing their range do not contribute to regional and global security and stability," Dirioz stated, according to AFP.
Turkey's reaction followed that of its main regional ally Israel, which said last week that it was "on new alert" about Iran's weapons program.
The Shihab-3 missile was first tested in 2000 and its development is in a final stage. Tehran has said it has "no Shahab 4 project," but the deputy commander of the country's navy said in April that Iran planned to develop a new air-to-air missile. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
