
Jan Fischer, the prime minister of the Czech Republic, one of two countries where the system was to be built, told reporters that the United States is shelving the missile defense plan.
An Iranian surface-to-surface Sejil 2 missile is seen in front of a banner featuring Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The words on the banner read, "We are alive and we are warriors." (Reuters)
The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that it has made a "major adjustment" to plans for a missile defense system in eastern Europe, after a U.S. ally said the Obama administration is shelving the system altogether.
The proposed system was pitched as a way to fend off potential attacks from Iran but it became a major irritant in relations with Russia. President Obama faced the dilemma of either setting back the gradual progress toward repairing relations with Russia or disappointing two key NATO allies, the Czech Republic and Poland, that agreed to host components of the planned system.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell declined to give specifics about the new changes, but said: "This improvement to the system has nothing to do with Russia and everything to do with Iran."
"While the Iranian threat has developed, so too has our technology," Morrell said. Details were expected to be announced later Thursday. read more from FOX News
No comments:
Post a Comment