fired a long-range, upgraded Sejil 2 missile Wednesday, state television reported, a move likely to add to tension with Western powers worried by Tehran's nuclear ambitions. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the launch was of serious concern to the international community and underlined the case for tougher sanctions against Iran, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter. Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the test was part of efforts to boost the country's deterrent capabilities Al Alam, Iran's Arabic-language satellite television, said the two-stage, solid fuel Sejil missile had a longer range than Tehran's Shahab model. Iranian officials have in the past said the Shahab 3 missile can reach targets up to 2,000 km (1,250 miles) away. Such a range would put Israel and US bases in the Gulf within reach. State television showed a missile launched from desert-like terrain soaring into the sky with a long vapour trail. “Iran successfully tests optimized version of Sejil 2 missile,” it said in a breaking news headline. Vahidi said the missile, which he said was developed by Iranian scientists, needed a shorter launch time and was more accurate than the previous version, state television said. The test came a day after the US House of Representatives approved legislation to impose sanctions on foreign companies that help supply gasoline to Iran, a measure lawmakers hope would deter Tehran from pursuing its nuclear work. Iran has repeatedly shrugged off the impact of such punitive measures, that include three rounds of limited UN sanctions since 2006. In Copenhagen, Britain's Brown said after meeting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “I have expressed to him and he has also expressed concern about the test of a long-range missile by Iran. “This is a matter of serious concern to the international community and it does make the case for us moving further on sanctions ... We will treat this with the seriousness it deserves.” A senior Iranian oil official said a move by US lawmakers to target Tehran with fuel sanctions would not cause any problems because Tehran had many suppliers. Opposition leaders warned Iran's judiciary warned opposition leaders that prosecutors had enough evidence to try them and accused them of offences tantamount to those of the rebel People's Mujahedeen. “I say to the leaders of the sedition that we have enough evidence against you,” ILNA news agency quoted judiciary chief Sadeq Larijani as telling prosecutors in the strongest threat yet that opposition leaders could be tried. “If the regime has shown tolerance until now, don't suppose that we do not understand. How can we not find out when it is the duty of the judiciary to deal with such cases?” For the first time, Larijani compared the actions of opponents of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial June re-election to the regime's most despised enemy, the People's Mujahedeen.
