Iran unveils locally made cruise, ballistic missile amid US tensions

TEHRAN (REUTERS): Iran has unveiled a set of cruise missiles and a new locally-made ballistic missile that Defence Minister Amir Hatami said had a range of 1,400 kilometres, completely ignoring US demands to halt its missile programme.

The country’s defence minister in a televised speech said, “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.”

Head of Iran’s Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi were killed in January in a US strike on their convoy in Baghdad airport.

On the occasion, Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani said, “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. Our military might and missile programmes are defensive.”

The announcement comes as the United States is pushing to extend an UN-imposed arms embargo against Iran, which is due to expire in October under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Washington says its aim is to force Tehran to agree to a broader deal that puts stricter limits on its nuclear work, curbs its ballistic missile program, and ends its regional proxy wars. Iran has rejected talks as long as the US sanctions remain in place.