What began as a Cold War missile race between the United States and the Soviet Union spilled over into the third world during the latter part of the 20th century. In the Middle East, Soviet-supplied Scud missiles were deployed by Egypt, Syria and Iraq. They also became part of Iran's arsenal. In response, Israel developed its own medium-range missiles. The region became a series of circles on maps delineating where missiles could strike, adding a new level of tension to troubled lands. That missile race continues today in Iran.

Lessons Learned in War

As Ivan Oelrich at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington explains, Tehran's drive to be a missile power began in the 1980s. "This all goes back to the Iran-Iraq War, and the so-called 'Battle of the Cities' in which both Iran and Iraq were throwing Scud missiles at each others' capital cities. This made a very deep impression on the Iranians - that there is nothing they could really do to defend against these things except try to retaliate. They recognized the importance of having some kind of missile capability," he says.

Early models of the Scud missile had a range of just under 200 kilometers. Then, as Andrew Koch with Janes Defence Weekly says, Iran sought longer-range missiles.

"The original reason for Iran wanting to use longer-range missiles was Iraq," he says. "Then Iran became increasingly concerned about being bullied by the United States or other powers coming in. They see long-range missiles with conventional warheads or chemical warheads as an ability to keep those countries out of their area. And then, of course, I believe eventually they would like to have a nuclear deterrent."

Response to Other Nations' Weapons

The Shahab 3 can reach Israel carrying a warhead large enough for a basic nuclear weapon

The United States and other western nations viewed the range of the Shahab 3 with great concern because it gave Iran the ability to target Israel with a missile carrying a payload of up to one metric ton, enough for a basic nuclear warhead. But since the early 1980s, long before the Iranian Shahab 3 was deployed, Israel had at least western Iran within the 1,500 kilometer range of its own nuclear-capable missile, the Jericho II.

Both the Shahab 3 and the Jericho II are carried on mobile launchers parked in underground shelters rather than in fixed silos. The mobile launchers allow the missiles to be easily moved, making it more difficult for adversaries to target them. This tactic was used with some success by Iraq in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Iran and Israel continue to improve their missiles for greater range and warhead capacities. Unlike Israel, Iran has not launched any satellites into orbit, but William Hoar, Editor-in-Chief of a Washington-based information service called Military Periscope, says both countries are using space program technology and descriptive terms for missiles that analysts say clearly have military applications.

"The Israelis have what they call a 'space launch vehicle' and that's what the Iranians have decided to call theirs, which is the Shahab 4," he says, adding " At one point, the Iranians said it was, in fact, a more capable ballistic missile. But then they backtracked on that and they've decided to now characterize that as a 'space launch vehicle.'"

Missile Race Among Regional Powers