Iran Nuclear Talks Turn to Missiles

Intelligence gathered by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, indicated Iran had conducted secret research to affix a nuclear weapon to a long-range Shahab-3 missile.

The U.S. and its allies view Iran's missiles as part of the country's potential nuclear threat, thus a subject for the talks on a permanent nuclear agreement. "They have to deal with matters related to their ballistic missile program," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

But Iran says the missiles are part of its defense establishment and beyond the limits of nuclear talks. In any case, the issue of whether Iran's ballistic missile capabilities will be on the agenda already has exposed a rift between the Americans and Iranians. Last week, Iran's elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, successfully test-fired what state media described as two domestically made ballistic missiles.

The missiles are estimated to have ranges of at least 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) and could be capable of striking Israel and American military targets in the Middle East, though military experts question their accuracy. U.S. officials, however, pushed back on Tuesday at the talks and insisted Iran's ballistic missile capabilities will be addressed as part of any final accord on the nuclear program. "Every issue is on the table as part of the comprehensive negotiations, including Iran's ballistic missile program," said a senior administration official at the talks.

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Missile defense in New York

In March, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that in light of renewed North Korean belligerence, including long-range missile testing in violation of international sanctions, the United States will beef up its missile-defense system to protect American cities.

The Defense Intelligence Agency has confirmed it believes Pyongyang has a nuclear weapon small enough to place on a missile. The damage from a missile carrying a nuclear warhead, is unimaginable. The United States already has homeland-defense sites in Alaska and in California; these mainly defend against potential North Korean missiles, which would enter US airspace from the West. 

But what about Iran? It continues to develop its missile program and to defiantly move toward a nuclear-weapons capability even in the face of sanctions. And an Iranian long-range missile would enter US airspace from the East. The current missile-defense system provides some protection from missiles headed toward the East Coast, but the country needs another site to give our military more chances and another angle to successfully intercept a missile headed to U.S. from Iran.

New York’s Fort Drum is considered a leading contender for this prestigious responsibility. Its location in relation to where enemy missiles would be headed makes it ideal, which is why the Pentagon selected it as the new site for a data center to help track such missiles. As Sen. Schumer wrote in a letter to the White House: “Should military experts determine that a new system on the East Coast is necessary, workable and cost effective, Fort Drum and Griffiss Air Force Base are uniquely capable for the job. . . A federal investment for missile interceptors in Upstate New York could create thousands of jobs and significant revenue in local communities, just as similar missile-defense systems have in California and Alaska.”

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Syria: Tomahawk missiles lined up

The Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile, fired safely from a warship or submarine far away from the target, seems to be the best option to reduce the risk of “collateral damage”.

All the signs are that Chuck Hagel, US Defence Secretary, has put the Tomahawk at the top of his list of options for Mr. Obama. He has lined up four guided-missile destroyers, armed with Tomahawks, in the Mediterranean, with instructions to the warship commanders to be on the alert for an order from the White House.

Britain will have a Trafalgar class nuclear-powered submarine, also equipped with Tomahawks, to support such an operation. Each of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers has at least 90 Tomahawks on board, giving a total of almost 400 missiles ready to launch if Mr Obama decided to go down the military route but restrict the mission to a single aim - to prevent or deter President Assad from using chemical weapons again.

The Tomahawk is guided by GPS to provide navigation precision, but the warhead contains only 454 kg of high explosives, a payload designed to damage, not destroy, its target. A full-scale air campaign, as in Kosovo, would necessitate taking out Syria's air defences - a challenge that General Dempsey appears keen to avoid. So the Tomahawk option rises to the fore. Targets could include chemical weapons storage and production sites, although there would be a risk of chemicals entering the atmosphere.