Thin Black Line
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It looks like a boycot of their products here in the USA is now in order:
Fury over Austrian 'super' rifles for Iranians
By Thomas Harding Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 14/01/2006)
Britain and America are furious with Austria for exporting to Iran 800 sniper rifles that could be used against their troops in Iraq.
HS50 Steyr-Mannlicher .50 calibre rifles can pierce body armour from up to a mile, shoot down helicopters and penetrate Humvee troop carriers that have not been fully reinforced.
The weapons are highly accurate and fire a round called an armour-piercing incendiary, a bullet that the Iranians manufacture.
There are fears in the Pentagon that some will reach insurgents fighting allied forces in Iraq.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard is suspected of passing on bomb-making technology to Iraqi terrorists responsible for infra-red bombs that have killed 10 British soldiers.
A Foreign Office spokesman said there were "serious concerns" over the rifle sale and London had protested to Vienna.
"Although we did make our worries known, the sale has unfortunately gone ahead and these weapons could now fall into the wrong hands," he said.
Iran allegedly bought the rifles to combat drug smugglers pouring through the borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The order, worth an estimated £8 million, was placed with Steyr last year and the company was given government permission to export the weapons.
A spokesman for Austria's interior ministry said there was no reason to stop the deal.
Iran is said to be re-arming after a £455 million deal with Russia for missiles and radar to ward off any air strikes on its nuclear facilities.
Fury over Austrian 'super' rifles for Iranians
By Thomas Harding Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 14/01/2006)
Britain and America are furious with Austria for exporting to Iran 800 sniper rifles that could be used against their troops in Iraq.
HS50 Steyr-Mannlicher .50 calibre rifles can pierce body armour from up to a mile, shoot down helicopters and penetrate Humvee troop carriers that have not been fully reinforced.
The weapons are highly accurate and fire a round called an armour-piercing incendiary, a bullet that the Iranians manufacture.
There are fears in the Pentagon that some will reach insurgents fighting allied forces in Iraq.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard is suspected of passing on bomb-making technology to Iraqi terrorists responsible for infra-red bombs that have killed 10 British soldiers.
A Foreign Office spokesman said there were "serious concerns" over the rifle sale and London had protested to Vienna.
"Although we did make our worries known, the sale has unfortunately gone ahead and these weapons could now fall into the wrong hands," he said.
Iran allegedly bought the rifles to combat drug smugglers pouring through the borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The order, worth an estimated £8 million, was placed with Steyr last year and the company was given government permission to export the weapons.
A spokesman for Austria's interior ministry said there was no reason to stop the deal.
Iran is said to be re-arming after a £455 million deal with Russia for missiles and radar to ward off any air strikes on its nuclear facilities.