The Jerusalem Post
NATO's interest in Iran has dramatically increased in recent months as the Islamic Republic works to upgrade its ballistic missiles and increase their range so they can penetrate deep into Europe, according to officials at the Western military alliance.
While the interest has not taken on a practical form, except in NATO and the United States's plan to deploy a missile defense shield in Europe, Israeli defense officials said that the military alliance no longer viewed Iran as taboo.
"NATO talks about Iran and they way it affects force structure and building," explained one senior Israeli official. "This doesn't mean that NATO is interested in a conflict with Iran, especially with the difficult war in Afghanistan, but it is preparing for all possibilities."
A NATO official said that the alliance was committed to the missile defense shield, particularly to protect areas where NATO forces were deployed. The official said that the original plan formulated by the Bush administration and under which missile launchers were to be deployed in Poland and a sophisticated radar station in the Czech Republic, was currently under review by the Obama administration. (Read more...)
Uzi Rubin, former head of Israel's Missile Defense Organization, spoke about the increased missile capabilities that Iran is developing at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
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