US changes missile defence plan

Barack Obama is scrapping plans by George W Bush for a missile defence system

Barack Obama has announced a big change in the way the US plans to protect itself from the threat of attack from Iran.

The president said he is scrapping plans by George W Bush for a missile defence system partly based in eastern Europe.

Mr Obama said the new system would provide a "stronger, smarter and swifter defence" of the US and its allies.

The move is being seen as a major shift in policy and many say it weakens America.

Under President Bush plans were drawn up to base missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic.

The US will still use missiles to intercept incoming attacks, but they will be launched from ships or smaller land-based sites.

Barack Obama said the change was needed to "deploy a defence system that best responds to the threats we face".

Missiles in Poland

The president claimed intelligence showed Iran was focussing on short and medium-range missiles.

His announcement comes after a review of US missile defence systems ordered by the president earlier this year.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates stressed it did not mean the country is abandoning missile defence.

"Those who say we are scrapping missile defence in Europe are either misinformed or misrepresenting the reality of what we are doing," he said.

Russia - an important ally for the US in stopping Iran building nuclear weapons - was deeply opposed to the plan, saying it threatened the country's security.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev welcomed the decision.

"We value the US president's responsible approach," he said.

But many people in the US say the President has made a bad move and left the country less secure.

Republican Senator John McCain, who lost the presidential election to Obama in 2008, called the move "seriously misguided".

Former US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said: "Russia and Iran are the big winners. I just think it's a bad day for American national security."

Russia and the US are due to discuss missile defence at a United Nations meeting in New York next week.