Iran test-fired a new land-to-sea ballistic missile in the Gulf, a senior official said on Tuesday, days before an annual ceremony meant to showcase its military muscle at a time of rising tension with the West over its nuclear activity.

“The Defence Ministry has been able to test a new missile in the Persian Gulf which has a high ability to hit targets,” General Majid Bokaei, Iran's Deputy Defence Minister, was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA, which described the missile as a ballistic missile.

“This new missile, which has been equipped with a surface-to-surface missile system, exits the atmosphere after being launched, re-enters it at high speed, and completely destroys the target vessel or warship,” he added.

Bokaei did not say when the missile was tested or give a specific indication of its range. “When this missile was tested, all the enemies' destroyers and ships retreated from near our borders,” he said, according to IRNA.

In August,  the Islamic Republic said it had test-launched a more accurate short-range missile capable of hitting land and sea targets within a range of around 300 km (180 miles).

 

Source: Reuters; IRNA