Iran to hold large air force exercise, says report

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that Iran has the ability to launch a ballistic missile capable of hitting sections of eastern and southern Europe.

US leaders have not ruled out military options if diplomacy fails to assuage fears about Iran’s nuclear activities, which the world’s fourth-largest oil producer says is only to produce electricity.

Israel, long assumed to have its own atomic arsenal, has sworn to prevent Iran from emerging as a nuclear-armed power.

Iran has vowed to strike back at Tel Aviv, as well as US interests and shipping, if it is attacked.

Some US facilities across the Gulf are little more than 200 km from Iran’s coast, with air and naval bases in nearby Arab states such as Qatar and Bahrain.

But analysts say Iran’s real ability to respond to any attack could be with more unconventional tactics than a missile salvo, such as deploying small craft to hit oil tankers, or using allies in the area to strike at US or Israeli interests.