The World : New Iran Missile Site Seen

Despite military setbacks, Iran is still a threat and is building a new missile site that could endanger the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. commander for the Middle East said aboard the command ship Coronado. Gen. George B. Crist, chief of the U.S. Central Command, said construction of the Silkworm site was one reason for the deployment of a sophisticated U.S. Aegis-type missile cruiser in the Persian Gulf with long-range air surveillance and weapons systems. He said the ship, the Vincennes, is “a quantum leap forward in our ability to handle that threat” in the strait, the gulf’s narrow gateway. Iran remains a formidable presence, Crist said, despite losing several naval craft April 18 in clashes with the U.S. Navy.