Iran tests missiles in show of strength

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran conducted missile tests Monday as its leadership stepped up warnings of a possible military confrontation with the U.S.

In another show of defiance, Tehran said it had barred 38 United Nations nuclear inspectors from entering the country, apparently in retaliation for a U.N. Security Council resolution last month imposing limited sanctions on Iran.

The drum-beating suggested Iran does not intend to back down in its standoff with the West.

It could also aim to rally the public behind the government and silence increasingly bold criticism at home of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's antagonism toward the United States.

Iran's leaders have touted the possibility of a U.S. attack since President Bush announced Jan. 9 the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf region, a move U.S. officials have said is a show of strength directed at Iran.

Last month, the Security Council imposed limited trade sanctions on Iran over its refusal to cease uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for nuclear energy or bombs.

The Iranian military Monday began five days of maneuvers near the northern city of Garmsar, about 60 miles southeast of Tehran, state television reported. The military tested its Zalzal-1 and Fajr-5 missiles, the report said.

The Zalzal-1, able to carry a 1,200-pound payload, has a range of 200 miles. That would put Iraq, U.S. bases in the Gulf and eastern Saudi Arabia in its range. The Fajr-5, with a 1,800-pound payload, has a range of 35 miles.

Neither could reach Israel, but Iran has other missiles that can. It was not known whether the missiles tested are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The show of strength came as the aircraft carrier Stennis headed toward the Gulf, joining the Dwight D. Eisenhower in a beefed-up U.S. military presence. The Bremerton-based Stennis is expected to arrive in late February.

The U.S. is also deploying Patriot missiles and nuclear submarines to the Persian Gulf and F-16 fighter planes to the Incirlik base in Turkey.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the buildup aimed to impress on Iran that the four-year war in Iraq has not made America vulnerable.

The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of secretly trying to develop atomic weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear activities are aimed only at producing energy. The U.S. also accuses Iran of backing militants fueling Iraq's violence.

Over the past few days, Iran's hardline newspapers have threatened suicide attacks against American targets and claimed missiles fired from Iran would turn Israel into "a scorching hell" if the U.S. takes military action.