Iran unveils new drone, missile amid rising tensions

Published September 21, 2024 Updated September 21, 2024 04:58pm
Bavar missiles are displayed during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in Tehran on September 21. — AFP
Bavar missiles are displayed during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in Tehran on September 21. — AFP

Iran unveiled a new ballistic missile and an upgraded one-way attack drone at a military parade on Saturday, state media said, amid soaring regional tensions and allegations of arming Russia.

Iran stands accused by Western governments of supplying both drones and missiles to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, a charge it has repeatedly denied.

The solid-fuel Jihad missile was designed and manufactured by the aerospace arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and has an operational range of 1,000 kilometres, state news agency IRNA said.

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

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the annual parade in Tehran, commemorating the 1980-88 war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

“Today, our defensive and deterrent capabilities have grown so much that no demon even thinks about any aggression towards our dear Iran,” he said.

“With unity and cohesion among Islamic countries … we can put in its place the bloodthirsty, genocidal usurper Israel, which shows no mercy to anyone, women or children, old or young.”

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a similar tirade against Israel to delegates to an annual meeting of Muslim clerics hosted by Iran, calling on Islamic countries to “completely cut off their economic relations” with Israel and “weaken political ties”.

“This inner strength can eliminate the Zionist regime, this malignant cancerous tumour, from the heart of the Islamic community in Palestine and get rid of US domination and coercive interference in the region,” he said.

Middle East tensions have soared since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, sparking conflict in Gaza and drawing in Iranian allies around the region.

The tensions have intensified in recent days as the focus of Israel’s firepower has shifted north to the Lebanon border where its troops have been battling Hezbollah.

An Israeli air strike on Hezbollah’s Beirut stronghold on Friday killed 31 people, including two of its top commanders, Lebanese authorities said, hot on the heels of deadly sabotage attacks on the group’s communications earlier this week.

Britain, France, Germany and the United States slapped new sanctions on Iran earlier this month, alleging that it had been providing ballistic missiles for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

Opinion

Editorial

Democracy in peril
Updated 21 Sep, 2024

Democracy in peril

The govt is forcing the SC into a direct confrontation with the legislature.
Far from finish line
21 Sep, 2024

Far from finish line

FROM six cases in the first half of the year, Pakistan has now gone to 18 polio cases. Of the total, 13 have been...
Brutal times
Updated 21 Sep, 2024

Brutal times

The latest string of chilling episodes confirm a pattern of unlawful police violence endorsed by mobs.
What now?
20 Sep, 2024

What now?

Govt's actions could turn the reserved seats verdict into a major clash between institutions. It is a risky and unfortunate escalation.
IHK election farce
20 Sep, 2024

IHK election farce

WHILE India will be keen to trumpet the holding of elections in held Kashmir as a return to ‘normalcy’, things...
Donating organs
20 Sep, 2024

Donating organs

CERTAIN philanthropic practices require a more scientific temperament than ours to flourish. Deceased organ donation...