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A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 1 november 2017

Iran says supreme leader limiting ballistic missile range

By JON GAMBRELL fense at the International
Associated Press Institute for Strategic Stud-
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- ies in Washington. “I think
ates (AP) — Iran’s supreme with the supreme leader
leader has restricted the saying it, it takes on a little
range of ballistic missiles more significance.”
manufactured in the coun- The range of 2,000 kilome-
try to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 ters encompasses much
miles), the head of the of the Middle East, includ-
paramilitary Revolutionary ing Israel and American
Guard said Tuesday, which military bases in the re-
limits their reach to only re- gion. That’s a concern for
gional Mideast targets. the U.S. and its allies, but
The comments on Ayatol- Iran’s ballistic missile pro-
lah Ali Khamenei’s orders gram was not included in
appear to be an effort by the 2015 nuclear deal that
Iranian authorities to con- it struck with world powers.
trast their missile program, Speaking on the sidelines
which they often describe of a conference in Teh-
as being for defensive pur- ran, Gen. Mohammad Ali
poses, against those of Jafari told journalists that
countries like North Korea, the capability of Iran’s bal-
which poses a threat to the listic missiles is “enough for
United States. now.” The Guard runs Iran’s The head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari speaks with jour-
“It is a political decision,” missile program, answering nalists after he addressed a conference called “A World Without Terror,” in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday,
Oct. 31, 2017. Jafari said Tuesday that the country’s supreme leader has limited the range of bal-
said Michael Elleman, the only to Khamenei. listic missiles it makes to 2,000 kilometers, or 1,240 miles.
senior fellow for missile de- “Today, the range of our (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
missiles, as the policies of a 2,000-kilometer radius the U.S.
Iran’s supreme leader dic- around us and we are able “They know that if they
tate, are limited to 2,000 ki- to respond to any pos- begin a war between Iran
lometers, even though we sible desperate attack by and the United States, they
are capable of increasing them.” will definitely be the main
this range,” he said. “Amer- However, Jafari said he losers and their victory will
icans, their forces and their didn’t believe there would by no means be guaran-
interests are situated within be war between Iran and teed,” he said. q
Syria activists:
Seven children killed in government shelling

BEIRUT (AP) — At least sev- to flow into besieged ar- a child, according to the
en Syrian children were eas. Observatory. The Ghouta
killed in government shell- The Ghouta Media Center Media Center said four
ing of a rebel-held area and the Syrian Observa- were killed, including two
outside Damascus on tory for Human Rights said children. Another shell in
Tuesday, most as they left at least five children were Harasta, also in the east-
school, activists said. killed when a shell landed ern Ghouta suburbs, land-
The government has inten- at the gate of a school in ed near a school but only
sified its campaign against Jisreen, a town in the east- caused injuries.
the last rebel holdouts on ern Ghouta suburbs of Da- Eastern Ghouta, which is
the outskirts of the capital mascus, as children were still home to an estimated
as Russian-sponsored talks leaving for the day. The 350,000 people, has en-
in Kazakhstan aim to con- Observatory said the death dured years of siege and
solidate “de-escalation toll is likely to rise and that shelling, which has contin-
zones” in different parts of another child was killed in ued despite a de-escala-
the country. the village from another tion agreement backed
The limited local truces are shell. One of the children by the government and its
aimed at freezing the lines had his legs blown off. close allies, Russia and Iran.
of the six-year-old civil war, Shelling in the northeast- On Monday, the United Na-
which has claimed an es- ern town of Musraba has tions said it reached thou-
timated 400,000 lives, and meanwhile killed another sands of residents for the
allowing humanitarian aid three people, including first time in over a month. q