Nato Did Not Cite Iran As A Missile Threat When Approving Europe's Missile Defense Program

NATO Won't Cite Iran in Missile Defense Plan -- Global Security Newswire

NATO this week does not intend to explicitly make the connection between its proposed missile shield and fears of an Iranian missile strike, alliance head Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the Financial Times (see GSN, Nov. 16).

The move is intended to win the support of Turkey, which could host part of the system and which has voiced strong reservations against singling out its neighbor.

"We do not want to single out particular countries," Rasmussen said. "More than 30 countries already have -- or are aspiring to acquire -- missile technologies with a range that can hit NATO territory. So there is no need to single out or name specific countries, because this is an evolving threat."

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Update: As summit begins, NATO missile shield a test of Turkey's allegiance -- Deutsche Welle

My Comment: Al Jazeera sums it up best ..... Nato agrees to expand Europe-based defence system, but bows to Turkish concerns over naming Iran as a threat.