Iran: Shihab missile designed to target Israel
 

Wahid rejected claims that Iran is trying to develop a missile with a range of 12,000 kilometers to hit the United States. "This is not true. American territory is not part of our strategic defense targets," he was quoted as saying.

Wahid maintained that Iran has no intention of producing nuclear weapons, despite reported efforts by the regime to do so. He said its missiles would be fitted with conventional warheads.
"Everyone knows that Israel has 200 nuclear warheads.... We have no nuclear weapons and we are not trying to obtain them. If there is a strike against us, however, we will respond with all our capabilities," Wahid said.

Israel, which struck at Iraq's nuclear facility in 1981, has expressed deep concern over the ongoing work at Iran's atomic energy plant.

Despite the denials, Western intelligence sources are convinced that Iran is trying to attain atomic weapons and that the reactor plant could be part of this program, although experts are unsure about the extent of progress.

"There are differences of opinion among the intelligence services, with some saying that Iran is farther away from attaining nuclear weapons than the Iraqis were at the time of the 1991 Gulf War, and others maintaining that it is more imminent," said Ben-Dor.

"Non-conventional weapons, however, are only one part of the equation. There also have to be means of delivering them, and in this respect it is clear that the Iranians have been working very hard, with considerable assistance from China and North Korea.