WASHINGTON — Work on developing a missile defense system for possible use against Iranian weapons would be done on Kaua'i under a special request by Sen. Daniel Inouye and a top U.S. general.

Inouye, D-Hawai'i, and Army Lt. Gen. Patrick O'Reilly, director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, have asked Congress for $68.5 million to build an Aegis missile defense test site at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the western shores of Kaua'i.

The missile defense system would be deployed on the Navy's Aegis ships and on land to protect against short- and medium-range missiles, potentially from Iran.

The Islamic Republic has raised concerns over its work on nuclear technology and its aggressive rhetoric, especially against Israel.

"This will enable the Missile Defense Agency to meet (President Obama's) timelines for defending Europe and the United States sooner against Iranian missiles," Inouye said in a statement yesterday.

Much of the missile defense system was supposed to be developed in Europe, but friction with Russia has forced Obama to relocate some of the work on the program.