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(Reuters) - Iran said on Saturday it test-fired two long-range missiles into the Indian Ocean earlier this year, the first time it has fired missiles into that sea, according to state television.

"In the month of Bahman (Jan 21-Feb 19) two missiles with a range of 1,900 km (1,180 miles) were fired from Semnan province(in northern Iran) into the mouth of the Indian Ocean," Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division, told a news conference some of which was shown on television.

Iran usually tests its missiles in extensive deserts in the heart of the country, so the firing into the Indian Ocean is an unusual move, aimed to prove Tehran's longstanding claims it can hit targets beyond its borders.

Television showed a missile being fired but the announcer did not specify if the pictures were of the Indian Ocean test-firing. No pictures were shown of a target being hit at sea.

The announcement came after a 10-day military exercise by the elite Guards that was designed to deter Iran's enemies by showing Iran is ready and able to hit back at U.S. bases in the Middle East and at Israel.

The United States and Israel have not ruled out military strikes on Iran if necessary to stop it getting nuclear weapons.

COMMENT:  Iran has literally disappeared from the front pages.  No one in Washington even talks about it, but the Iranians are forging ahead with their nuclear program and missile development.  Our attention has turned to budgetary matters.  They're important, of course, but they become unimportant if a few cities are leveled. 

We've noted before that the Great Depression was one of the causes of World War II.  The democracies averted their eyes from the German and Japanese buildups in order to concentrate on economic problems.  Are we seeing a repeat now?  Some would argue that Iran is neither Japan nor Germany.  But nuclear weapons create a great power overnight.

What Iran sees when it looks at Barack Obama's America is a country that is cutting its defense budget and pulling forces out of the region.  If the mullahs are smiling, they have good reason.

July 9, 2011