Americas

Americas

Pentagon submits new report on Iran to US Congress

11 July 2012 16:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Konul Jafarli â€“ APA. The Iranian army is continuing to improve the accuracy and destructive power of its long-and-short-range ballistic missile force, according to a Pentagon report that was submitted to the US Congress, APA reports quoting Bloomberg. The report, which was obtained by Bloomberg News, said that as part of the improvements, Iran’s military is designing a maneuvering weapon to target vessels. Iran has boosted the lethality and effectiveness of existing systems by improving accuracy and developing new submunition payloadsâ€ that extend the destructive power over a wider area than a solid warhead, according to the June 29 report signed by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

The improvements are in tandem with regular ballistic- missile training that â€œcontinues throughout the countryâ€ and the addition of â€œnew ships and submarines,â€ the report found. The report obtained by Bloomberg News was provided to the four congressional defense committees last week to comply with a fiscal 2010 directive to provide an annual classified and unclassified assessment of Iranâ€™s military power. The unclassified version provides the latest snapshot of Iranâ€™s so- called asymmetric capabilities designed to counter the strengths of western militaries. The report summarizes whatâ€™s been said publicly about the status of Iranâ€™s nuclear program and its aid to Syria, Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iraqi Shiite groups. It repeats the long- standing U.S. assessment that Iran with â€œsufficient foreign assistance may be technically capable of flight-testingâ€ an intercontinental ballistic missile by 2015. Two analysts who follow Iranian military developments said the report provides new details and emphasis on the nationâ€™s conventional ballistic missiles.