Allahu Akbar” “God is Great” were the words chanted by Iranians when Iran recently test fired a series of missiles. In blatant defiance of the West’s condemnation of the uranium enrichment facility near Quom, Iran flexed its muscles and demonstrated its readiness to respond to any military attack by firing missiles which have a firing range of 2,000km- putting Israel, the entire Middle East, and southern Europe within striking distance. Not by coincidence, the missiles were tested on Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish holidays.

The objective of firing the missiles was to “present the will of the great Iranian nation and to safeguard its revolutionary and national aspirations", according to General Hossein Salami the Guard’s Air Force Commander. However the timing of the military exercise is arguably strategically carried out in advance of talks taking place between Iran and the West. Iran as acquiesced to demands from the West for international inspectors to be allowed immediate and full access to the uranium facility.

The missile exercise demonstrated once again that the issue of nuclear rights is non-negotiable to the Iranians. Whilst Iran is busy trying to deflect international outrage over the exercise, by insisting that its nuclear programme is a peaceful programme designed to generate power and free more oil reserves for export, it may have shot itself in the foot. Russia, once firmly against sanctions against Iran due to its own interests in the country, is now reconsidering sanctions against Iran, should diplomatic efforts fail.