Object

Iran's Shehab-3 Missile

Leo identifies the Shehab-3 missile during an Oval Office meeting and suggests halting its tests to secure approval for the Ayatollah's son's heart-and-lung transplant flight. Bartlet refuses the linkage; C.J., Charlie, and an aide back him. The missile persists as a threat with unchecked tests. C.J. later fields reporters' questions in the briefing room, recasting the tests as a multilateral diplomatic issue the White House addresses without implicating the President. Reporters John and Mitch push for details amid routine announcements.

4 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

Oval Banter and the Red‑Cross Line

The Shehab‑3 missile functions as the bargaining object Leo wants to tie to the medical mission; it is invoked to justify demanding a moratorium via diplomatic pressure.

Before: An operational threat under consideration, with potential tests ongoing or planned.

After: Raised as a demand in the Swiss communiquÉ concept, but Bartlet explicitly refuses to let it contaminate the humanitarian mission — its testing remains a separate political issue.

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S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

You Don't Bargain a Life — Bartlet Draws a Humanitarian Line

The Shehab-3 missile functions as the strategic bargaining chip Leo wants to tie to the communique; mentioned as the specific test Leo wants halted in exchange for permitting the flight, it becomes the focal strategic asset in the leverage argument.

Before: Active regional threat with tests continuing or imminent; referenced as ongoing concern.

After: Still a strategic concern; the President refuses to link cessation of tests to the humanitarian mission, reducing immediate chance of transactional leverage.

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S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Containment by Spin: Shehab Tests, APEC Tease, and Routine Resignations

The Shehab-3 missile tests are invoked as a security incident of concern; C.J. deliberately frames them as a multilateral diplomatic matter involving Bahrain signatories rather than a direct executive failure, steering responsibility away from the President.

Before: Undergoing accelerated tests causing international concern.

After: Being publicly addressed through multilateral diplomatic channels as stated by the White House; no new direct policy action announced in the briefing.

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S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Podium Politics — Mitch Confronts C.J.

The Shehab‑3 missile is the substantive topic that opens the briefing; questions about its accelerated tests frame the press’s agenda, providing the policy backdrop to the optics dispute that follows.

Before: Undergoing accelerated tests, prompting reporter concern and administration diplomatic responses.

After: Identified by C.J. as a concern the administration is addressing through multilateral channels; no immediate operational change announced in this scene.

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