The following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian Minister of Defense, Admiral 'Ali Shamkhani. Channel 2, Iranian TV aired this interview on February 5, 2005:
Admiral 'Ali Shamkhani: The claim that we have plans for a missile with a range of 3,000 km, or that we are manufacturing such a missile, is in fact a media spin, the handiwork of the Zionists. By this they are saying that the Iranian missile range can reach Europe. We are aware of this sensitivity, and don't think we need to equip ourselves with missiles with such a range. Therefore, this information is baseless and false.