Iran unveils new missile and drone amid rising tensions

2024-09-21 14:50:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Iran unveiled a new ballistic missile and an upgraded attack drone during a military parade on September 21, state media reported, amid heightened regional tensions and accusations of Russia's weaponry.

Iran is accused by Western governments of supplying drones and missiles to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine, a charge Iran has repeatedly denied.

The Jihad missile was designed and manufactured by the air arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and has an operational range of 1,000 kilometers, according to the IRNA news agency.

The Shahed-136B drone is an upgraded version of the Shahed-136, with new features and an operational range of more than 4,000 kilometers, she added.

The new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, took part in the annual parade in Tehran, which commemorates the 1980-88 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

"Today, our defense and deterrence capabilities have increased so much that no demon dares to think of any aggression against our beloved Iran," he said.

"With unity and cohesion among Islamic countries... we can put in place the bloodthirsty and genocidal usurper, Israel, who shows no mercy to anyone, neither women nor children, young or old," he added.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a similar anti-Israel speech to delegates at an annual meeting of Muslim clerics hosted by Iran, calling on Islamic countries to "completely cut off their economic relations" with Israel and " to weaken political ties".

Tensions in the Middle East have been rising since the attack by the Iranian-backed Palestinian group Hamas - designated a terrorist organization by the US and the EU - on Israel on October 7, sparking war in Gaza.

Tensions have intensified in recent days as Israel's focus has shifted north to the border with Lebanon, where its troops have been fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

An Israeli air strike on Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut on Friday killed 31 people, including two of its top commanders, Lebanese authorities said.

Britain, France, Germany and the United States imposed new sanctions on Iran earlier this month, claiming that it had provided ballistic missiles to Russia.