Iran to Unveil Several Missile and Weapons Projects Next Month

A top commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that the country's armed forces will unveil several missiles and weapons at the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution next month.Mehr news agency quoted commander Massud Jazayeri as saying: "Several missile and weapons projects will be unveiled during the 10 days of dawn (February 1 to 11) by armed forces."

Jazayeri's announcement comes less than a week after Tehran said it will reveal three new satellites in February.Communications Minister Reza Taghipour said the three home-built communications satellites were Toloo (Dawn), Ya Mahdi and Mesbah-2. He did not give a specific date for the launching.Iran had launched its first home-built satellite, the Omid (Hope), last February to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

The launch sent alarm bells ringing in the international community, which voiced concern over Iran's development of technology that could be used for military purposes.The West suspects Iran of secretly trying to build an atomic bomb and fears the technology used to launch space rockets could be diverted into developing long-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Tehran denies having military goals for its space programme or its nuclear drive.But it has aggressively pursued a missile programme and repeatedly threatened to target US bases in the region and to block the strategic Gulf Strait of Hormuz waterway for oil tankers if its nuclear sites are attacked.Washington and its ally Israel have not ruled out striking Iran's nuclear sites in a bid to stop its galloping atomic drive which they suspect is aimed at making weapons.

Iran is under three sets of UN sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment and risks a further round after rejecting a UN-brokered deal to send its low enriched uranium abroad to be further refined into fuel for a research reactor in Tehran.