WATCH: ‘Iran’s missile capabilities creates fear in region, abroad’

Iran’s transparency with their missile abilities creates increased fear for countries in the Middle East and abroad, according to a US missile defense expert.
kurdistan24.net

WASHINGTON, United States (Kurdistan24) – Iran’s transparency with their missile abilities creates increased fear for countries in the Middle East and abroad, according to a US missile defense expert.

Michael Elleman, a Senior Fellow for Missile Defense at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, spoke to Kurdistan24 about Iran’s ongoing weapons program.

Elleman explained that Tehran intentionally broadcasts videos of their missile launches on television to prove they are capable of defending themselves “in a devastating manner.”

“Iran has been very transparent about their missile capabilities,” he said.

“They air videos of the launches on State TV, they talk about them endlessly and about their capabilities,” he continued.

The Senior Fellow stated Iran’s intentional exposure of their weapons is meant to “enhance their own deterrence to warn would-be attackers.”

Moreover, Elleman stressed that the neighboring countries in the region and those abroad do not take Iran’s missile abilities lightly.

“The Gulf States take [Iran’s threats] very seriously, as does Israel that missiles could rain down on their cities in the future,” he said.

Elleman added that the US, Great Britain, and “other powers that have troops stationed in the region” do not ignore Iran’s missile threat.

He also discussed China and Russia’s relationship with Iran, more specifically their history of exporting “sensitive technologies.”

“[China] certainly have supplied Iran with anti-ship cruise missiles, so the connections are there, the networks are there,” Elleman concluded.

 

(Kurdistan24 team in Washington, DC conducted the interview)