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President Obama talked tough on Iran at the United Nations yesterday — and the regime led by strongman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad countered by claiming it had test-fired four missiles that sank a ship-sized target in 50 seconds.
Iran also raised the stakes by giving details of a new long-range drone capable of hitting Israel or other Mideast targets.
Obama used some of his toughest rhetoric so far in the war of nerves by telling the General Assembly, “The United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
He said there was still time to stop Tehran’s drive by using diplomacy.
“But that time is not unlimited,” the president said.
Iran has warned that if its nuclear facilities are attacked, it would plant as many as 5,000 mines in the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and cut off the flow of one-fifth of the world’s oil.
But the United States has vowed to keep the Gulf open — and is now conducting a massive ship mine-sweeping exercise there through tomorrow. The Gulf is a few hundred miles from where Iran test-fired its anti-ship missiles.
Gen. Ali Fadavi of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said yesterday that the test proved Iran could sink a “big target” in less than a minute, according to Iran’s official Fars news agency.
He also said Iran is closely monitoring 64 US vessels in the region, including 20 engaged in the mine-sweeping exercise, along with British, French, Japanese and Emirates ships.
Another Revolutionary Guard official, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said the new “Shahed 129” drone could be armed with “bombs and missiles” and has a range of 1,250 miles.
Hajizadeh said on Sunday that if war broke out between Iran and Israel, “it will turn into World War III” as other nations are drawn into it. He said Iran would target US bases in the event of an Israeli attack.
Obama alluded to the threatened cutoff of oil when he told the United Nations, “Make no mistake: a nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained. It would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations and the stability of the global economy.”
War jitters helped drive up the price of oil on the world market about 1 percent yesterday before falling back.
Obama blasted Iran for helping to keep Syria’s bloody regime in power and refusing to cooperate fully with UN arms inspectors.
“Time and again, it has failed to take the opportunity to demonstrate that its nuclear program is peaceful, and to meet its obligations to the United Nations,’’ he said.
The remarks set the stage for Ahmadinejad’s annual anti-US, anti-Israel UN tirade today.
Outside the Warwick hotel, where he’s staying, about 50 protesters chanted “Ahmadinejad is a terrorist” and “we want Ahmadinejad out of the US now, now, now.”
Additional reporting by