Great Prophet III
Encyclopedia
Great Prophet III was an Iran
ian missile test and war games
exercise, conducted by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards. It began in the early morning of 9 July 2008, when Iran claimed nine missile
s were simultaneously test-fired, including a long-range Shahab-3
. Further tests, which one report claimed included another Shahab-3 launch, were conducted on 10 July. The exercise was reported to be a response to Israel
i and American
military exercises which the Iranian government believed to be related to a proposed attack on facilities related to Iran's nuclear programmes
.
The commander of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards' air force, Hossein Salami, said that the test proved that "our missiles are ready for shooting at any place and any time, quickly and with accuracy", however the Iranian minister for Defence insisted that the missiles are "only intended for those who dare attack Iran". After the test, prices of oil
and gold
, already at or near all time highs, increased around the world. Oil hit a new record (over $147) on Friday, July 11, 2008, continuing a weekly string of records.
's news wire attributing it to Sepah News, and was later determined to be digitally altered. The altered photo showed a fourth missile being launched that was digitally cloned over the top of a failed missile. Michele McNally of The New York Times said the alterations were done "rather sloppily in some places" and James Brown, a journalism professor from Indiana University, described the alterations as "amateurish". Agence France-Presse issued a correction to its wire release on July 10 warning that the photo was "apparently digitally altered."
The Chicago Tribune
reported that Charles Vick, an analyst with GlobalSecurity.org
, has claimed that the second Shahab-3 fired was actually a short range Scud
-C missile. He also claimed the tests as, "basically a demonstration of all the weapon systems they bought from Russia, China or North Korea over the last decade."
summit which was being held in Japan at the time, asking "what kind of international sense they have in launching purposely on the last day of the summit". - Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Kisliak called for diplomatic talks to be held in light of the tests, saying that "the signal that we have received in essence is that Iran is ready for negotiations". - The British government stated that the test was "unwelcome", and that it "underlines the need for Iran to comply with its international obligations on the nuclear issue".
- White House
spokesman Gordon Johndroe
stated that "The Iranian regime only furthers the isolation of the Iranian people from the international community when it engages in this sort of activity", and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
claimed that the test showed "evidence that the missile threat is not an imaginary one". She also stated that it justified American plans to install missile defence systems in Eastern Europe
, as did Republican presidential
candidate John McCain
. Democratic candidate Barack Obama
described the Iranian missile programme as a "great threat".
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian missile test and war games
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
exercise, conducted by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards. It began in the early morning of 9 July 2008, when Iran claimed nine missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s were simultaneously test-fired, including a long-range Shahab-3
Shahab-3
The Shahab-3 is a medium-range ballistic missile developed by Iran and based on the Nodong-1. The Shahab-3 has a range of ; a MRBM variant can now reach...
. Further tests, which one report claimed included another Shahab-3 launch, were conducted on 10 July. The exercise was reported to be a response to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military exercises which the Iranian government believed to be related to a proposed attack on facilities related to Iran's nuclear programmes
Nuclear program of Iran
The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program. The support, encouragement and participation of the United States and Western European governments in Iran's nuclear program continued until the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
.
The commander of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards' air force, Hossein Salami, said that the test proved that "our missiles are ready for shooting at any place and any time, quickly and with accuracy", however the Iranian minister for Defence insisted that the missiles are "only intended for those who dare attack Iran". After the test, prices of oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, already at or near all time highs, increased around the world. Oil hit a new record (over $147) on Friday, July 11, 2008, continuing a weekly string of records.
Photograph
Several sources have alleged that one of the photos of the actual launch was doctored by the Sepah News website, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The photo was originally published by Agence France-PresseAgence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
's news wire attributing it to Sepah News, and was later determined to be digitally altered. The altered photo showed a fourth missile being launched that was digitally cloned over the top of a failed missile. Michele McNally of The New York Times said the alterations were done "rather sloppily in some places" and James Brown, a journalism professor from Indiana University, described the alterations as "amateurish". Agence France-Presse issued a correction to its wire release on July 10 warning that the photo was "apparently digitally altered."
Types of missile
On 12 July 2008, The New York Times claimed that numerous deceptions in the weapon test had occurred, including doctored photos and videos that showed multiple different angles of the same launches to make the launches appear more numerous. Experts who analysed the Shahab-3 launch alleged that the shorter ranged Shahab-3A was used instead of the Shahab-3B, as claimed by the Iranians. The Associated Press also claimed that no new capabilities had been demonstrated and that the Shahab-3 tested was not different in size from those tested in 1998. US officials also claimed that the video released looked "remarkably similar to previous tests."The Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
reported that Charles Vick, an analyst with GlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
, has claimed that the second Shahab-3 fired was actually a short range Scud
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
-C missile. He also claimed the tests as, "basically a demonstration of all the weapon systems they bought from Russia, China or North Korea over the last decade."
International reaction
- A spokesman for China's foreign ministry expressed "concern about these developments", and a "hope that measures taken by all sides will be to the benefit of regional peace and stability". - A spokesman for the French foreign ministry stated that "these missile tests can only reinforce the concerns of the international community at a time when Iran is separately developing a nuclear programme". - A spokesman for the German government described the tests as "a bad-will gesture", and "regrettable". - A spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister stated that "Israel has no desire for conflict or hostilities with Iran, but the Iranian nuclear programme and the Iranian ballistic missile programme must be of grave concern to the entire international community". Israel's housing minister stated in parliament that "Israel should prepare itself to do what is needed to do". - The Japanese Cabinet Secretary called for "self-restraint on this kind of action, which only puts regional peace and stability at a disadvantage". He also referred to the G8G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
summit which was being held in Japan at the time, asking "what kind of international sense they have in launching purposely on the last day of the summit". - Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Kisliak called for diplomatic talks to be held in light of the tests, saying that "the signal that we have received in essence is that Iran is ready for negotiations". - The British government stated that the test was "unwelcome", and that it "underlines the need for Iran to comply with its international obligations on the nuclear issue".
- White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
spokesman Gordon Johndroe
Gordon Johndroe
Gordon Johndroe was Deputy Assistant to President George W. Bush, Deputy Press Secretary and a spokesman for the United States National Security Council...
stated that "The Iranian regime only furthers the isolation of the Iranian people from the international community when it engages in this sort of activity", and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
claimed that the test showed "evidence that the missile threat is not an imaginary one". She also stated that it justified American plans to install missile defence systems in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, as did Republican presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
candidate John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
. Democratic candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
described the Iranian missile programme as a "great threat".