Iran Unveils New Ballistic Missile Amid Vienna Nuclear Talks
ERBIL — Iran on Wednesday unveiled a new ballistic missile with a range of 1,450 kilometers, a day after talks in Vienna to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal resumed, state TV reported.
Iran says that its ballistic missiles have a range of up to 2,000 kilometers and that they are able to reach the US and Israeli bases in the region.
The new surface-to-surface missile, displayed by state TV, is called “Kheibar Shekan” (Kheibar buster), which refers to an ancient Jewish oasis called Kheibar in the Arabian Peninsula’s Hijaz region that was overrun by Muslim warriors in the 7th century.
“This long-range missile is domestically manufactured by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) … It has high accuracy and is propelled by solid fuel and is capable of penetrating missile shields,” Iranian state media reported, as cited by Reuters.
“Iran will continue advancing its ballistic missile programme,” Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri told a ceremony at an IRGC base where the new missile was displayed.
In efforts to address the political and security deadlock between Tehran and the West, Iran, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany have held several rounds of talks in Vienna to salvage the nuclear deal.