DUBAI (UAE) – Iran put on display a surface-to-surface ballistic missile on Thursday and Defence Minister Amir Hatami said it has a range of 1,400 kilometres. A new cruise missile was also put on display paying scant regard to US demands that the country halt its missile programme.
“The surface-to-surface missile, called martyr Qassem Soleimani, has a range of 1,400 km and the cruise missile, called martyr Abu Mahdi, has a range of over 1,000 km,” Hatami said on TV.
Photos of the two missiles were shown on state TV, which said “the newest Iranian cruise missile that will further strengthen Iran’s deterrence power”.
Soleimani, who headed the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in January in a US strike on their convoy in Baghdad airport.
“Missiles and particularly cruise missiles are very important for us … the fact that we have increased the range from 300 to 1,000 in less than two years is a great achievement,” said President Hassan Rouhani.
“Our military might and missile programmes are defensive.”
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field
