2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles)

[Fillmore]

Iran successfully test-fired Friday a missile with the ability to avoid radar and hit several targets simultaneously, the air force chief of the elite Revolutionary Guards said.

"Today, a remarkable goal of the Islamic Republic of Iran's defense forces was realized with the successful test-firing of a new missile with greater technical and tactical capabilities than those previously produced," Gen. Hossein Salami said on state-run television.

Salami said the Iranian-made missile was test-fired as large military maneuvers began in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.

"This missile can simultaneously hit several targets, has near stealth capabilities with a high maneuverability, pin point accuracy and radar avoidance features," Salami said, possibly referring to Israel's Arrow missile defense system designed to intercept a Shihab-type missile.

The general said the range of the missile would depend on the weight of its warhead.

The television, however, described it as a "ballistic" missile, suggesting it was of comparable range to Iran's existing ballistic rocket, the Shihab-3, which can travel 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and reach Israel and US bases in the Middle East.

The Shihab-3 is also capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
The new missile is called Fajr-3, the television reported, screening a brief clip of its launch. Fajr means victory in Farsi.

"It can avoid anti-missile missiles and strike the target," Salami said.

Salami said the missile would carry a multiple warhead, and each warhead would be capable of hitting its target precisely.

As Iran is a major oil producer, the war games have contributed to the anxiety on world oil markets over the confrontation between the UN Security Council and Iran over its nuclear program.

Crude oil futures in London remained above US$66 a barrel on Friday as speculators expressed concern about Iran's refusal to accept the Security Council's call for it to cease uranium enrichment.

"We've seen the market pause a little, but these war games in the Persian Gulf will be watched very closely for any escalation in tension," an oil broker told Dow Jones Newswires.

Meanwhile, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani said Iran is willing to sell the weapons it produces at competitive prices.

Addressing tens of thousands of worshippers at Friday prayers in Tehran University, Rafsanjani said the country's 1980-88 war with Iraq had made it self-reliant in armaments.
"We can provide low-priced weapons to many countries," he added.


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