Iraqi Missiles Smash Into Iranian Holy City of Qom

Iraq raised the stakes in the Persian Gulf war today, sending missiles smashing into the Iranian holy city of Qom, seat of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s religious hierarchy.

Iran said it launched three long-range missiles against the Iraqi capital of Baghdad early today in retaliation.

One Iranian missile hit Baghdad at daybreak, killing or wounding several civilians, including women and children, and destroying houses, shops and cars, the official Iraqi News Agency said.

Iraq said it had sent 19 missiles into the Iranian capital since Monday, including two today that Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency said wounded 15 civilians.

Iraq’s news agency reported that a third missile was fired into Tehran in the afternoon.

The attack on Qom was Iraq’s first with surface-to-surface missiles on the city 80 miles south of Tehran. The last time Iraqi warplanes bombed Qom was January, 1987.

The Iraqi News Agency said the missiles on Qom were fired just before noon but it gave no other details of the attack on the city, which it called “the center of charlatans and hypocrites.”

The agency reported a second attack on Qom in the early afternoon.

The Iranian news agency said no casualties were reported in the strike on Qom before noon but it did not mention the later attack. IRNA said 15 civilians suffered wounds in the latest attacks on Tehran.

Qom, a city of 250,000 people, is home to Iran’s main theological center.