Iran unveils new ballistic missile

TEHRAN: Iran´s defence ministry on Thursday unveiled a new ballistic missile with a range of 2,000-km and a capacity to carry warheads weighing over a tonne. The Kheibar missile -- the latest version of the Khorramshahr which is Iran´s longest-range missile to date -- was unveiled alongside a replica of the Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem, in a live broadcast on state television.

Iran´s Defence Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani said the missile was unveiled as part of moves to “provide comprehensive support to our friends and countries that are on the path of fighting against the domination system”. State news agency IRNA said the Kheibar is “a liquid fuel missile with a range of 2,000-km and a 1,500 kilogrammes warhead”.

According to state media, the speed of the high-mobility tactical missile “can reach Mach 16 outside the atmosphere and Mach 8 inside the atmosphere”. The unveiling comes amid heightened tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and just over 10 days into a fragile Gaza ceasefire that ended five days of cross border conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.