[magellan]

The missile in question is the North Korean BM25 Musudan. The BM25 is an enlarged, land-based version of the Soviet era SS-N-6 (R-27 Zyb) submarine launched ballistic missile. It has a range of 3,200 km - 4,000 km.

Obama abandoned the Czech/Polish missile defense site with full knowledge of this capability, as it had been rumored as far back as 2006. The cable from this year is only a confirmation.

More on the Soviet/Russian R-27 Zyb here.

More on the North Korean BM25 Musudan here.

[Cisco Nix]

The sunni better get busy.

[HiTech RedNeck]

These sound like far better missiles than the relative duds that the Norkies have been shooting thus far. Why would the Norkies save their best for Iran rather than themselves? What if Iran double crosses them?

[SunkenCiv]

Iran has obtained a cache of advanced missiles, based on a Russian design, that are much more powerful than anything Washington has publicly conceded that Tehran has in its arsenal, diplomatic cables show.

Thanks magellan.