Analysts said an Iranian photograph released Wednesday that showed four missiles heading skyward had been digitally altered to make three firings look like four. The image appeared on the front pages of many newspapers and Web sites. Thursday, the Iranians released a photo showing what appeared to be the same scene, but with a grounded missile that may have failed. Descriptions of the big weapon in the extravaganza were also misleading, the analysts said. Iran’s Arabic-language Al Alam television said the Shahab-3 had a range of 2,000 kilometers or about 1,250 miles. Many news reports carried that description.Analysts said that extended range was true of the Shahab-3b. But the missile that the Iranians actually fired Wednesday, they added, was a less advanced model known as the Shahab-3a, which has a range of about 1,500 kilometers, or roughly 900 miles.
