BERLIN, Feb 21: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday a planned missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic was designed to counter a threat from Iran and posed no danger to Russia.

“We have a growing Iranian missile threat and we need to be able to deal with that,” Ms Rice told reporters after talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

“Everybody understands that with a growing Iranian missile threat which is quite pronounced there need to be ways to deal with that problem.

“These missile systems are for purposes having to do with post-9/11 threats,” Ms Rice said.

Russia has strongly objected to the US plan to station missile interceptors and a radar system on its western borders, in countries which used to be part of the communist bloc.

But Rice said Poland and the Czech Republic “make their own decisions” and they had decided to participate in the system.

The top US diplomat said she regretted that a high-ranking Russian general, Nikolai Solovtsov, had threatened this week that the two former Soviet states would be targeted by Russia if they hosted the system.

“I think it is unfortunate that the Russian head of strategic rocket forces would come out and say that somehow Poland and the Czech Republic would now be on the target list of Russia.—AFP