December 25, 2003	Thursday	Ziqa’ad 1, 1424

TEHRAN, Dec 24: Iranian Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani warned on Wednesday that his country would use all means at its disposal, including medium-range Shahab-3 missiles, if Israel struck its nuclear facilities.

“We will use all strike weapons at our disposal and the Shahab-3 missile is one of those,” Mr Shamkhani told reporters after a cabinet meeting. He was asked if Iran would retaliate with missiles if Israel made good its threats to take out Iranian nuclear sites.

Earlier this year, the air force of the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps took delivery of several domestically built Shahab-3 missiles, with a range of between 1,300 and 1,500 kilometres, sufficient to reach Israel.

A Tel Aviv daily, Haaretz, on Sunday quoted Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz as warning that the Zionist state was considering striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, despite the latter’s agreement earlier this month to submit them to snap UN inspection.

If such attacks are launched, “the necessary steps will be taken so that Iranian citizens will not be harmed”, the daily quoted Mr Mofaz as saying. —AFP