Iran has test-fired long-range missiles over the Persian Gulf for the second straight day. Earlier today, Iranian state television released video of Iranian ships launching missiles in an overnight test. On Wednesday, Iran test-fired nine long- and medium-range missiles, including one it says could reach Israel and US military bases in the Middle East. Iran has indicated the tests are a response to increasing threats of military attack from the US or Israel. Last month, the New York Times reported Israel carried out a major military exercise that appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he doesn’t think the US and Iran are closer to war.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates: “The fact is they’ve just tested a missile that has a pretty extended range. So my view in the first instance is, we’ve been saying, as we’ve talked about missile defense in Europe, that there is a real threat, and it seems to me that the test this morning underscores that.”

Reporter: “Are we any closer to a military confrontation with Iran?”

Sec. Gates: “No, I don’t think so.”

Just last week, a leading American strategic analyst said the US has developed a new plan for attacking Iran but would prefer diplomacy for now. The analyst, Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, had recently told Israeli officials Israel does not have a “green light” to attack Iran.