Iran again defied the West and launched a mid-range missile to a distance of 2,000 kilometers, while the country’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said that his country will not halt its nuclear program. The Sejil 2 missile which has advanced technology was released to underscore Iran’s goal to be up to par in nuclear armament. The distance that the missile traveled approximates the potential of its kind to reach Israel or the U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf.

In a speech, Ahmadinejad stressed that the nuclear program will continue even at the risk of further international sanctions. “I have said it could take a hundred sanctions, but nothing will change,” the president declared defiantly, adding that Iran has the capacity to ‘send to hell’ any military base where the ‘bullet’ fired against his country will come from.

The Iranian missile program has been of serious concern to the West. The launch of the missile was scheduled two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put weighty emphasis on the Iranian threat during his meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House. Some analysts believe that the choice of the launch date was not a coincidence.

Israel Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon also stressed that Iran can reach not only Israel but also Europe. “If anyone had any doubt, it is now clear that Iran is playing with fire,” he said.

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Via VOA News