Iran unveils latest ballistic missile with 1,200-km range amid rising tensions

Iran has introduced a new solid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of 1,200 kilometers (745 miles), according to state television, as tensions with Western nations continue to escalate.

“The solid propellant Ghassem Basir ballistic missile has a range of at least 1,200 kilometers and is Iran’s latest defence achievement,” the broadcaster announced on Sunday.

Western countries have long voiced concerns over Tehran’s missile development, accusing Iran of fueling instability across the Middle East.

Iran backs the so-called “axis of resistance,” a coalition of militant groups opposed to Israel, including Yemen’s Huthi rebels, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and Shiite militias in Iraq.

In October last year, Iran and its arch-enemy Israel exchanged direct strikes for the first time. Israel targeted military installations inside Iran in retaliation for an Iranian missile attack on October 1, itself a response to the killing of Iranian-aligned militant leaders and a commander of the Revolutionary Guards.

Footage of the newly unveiled missile was aired Sunday on Iranian state television during an interview with Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.

“If we are attacked and war is waged against us, we will respond with force and will target their interests and their bases,” Nasirzadeh stated. “We hold no animosity towards neighbouring states, but American bases are our targets,” he added.

The missile’s reveal comes after three consecutive weekends of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington, facilitated by Oman, concerning Iran’s nuclear programme. These meetings mark the highest-level dialogue since the United States withdrew in 2018 from a key international nuclear accord.

Last Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Iran to abandon uranium enrichment during an interview with Fox News. “The only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons,” Rubio said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 27 insisted that any credible agreement must “remove Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons” and block further ballistic missile development.

Tehran continues to deny pursuing nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear activities are strictly for peaceful, civilian purposes.

Iran has also ruled out any negotiations with Washington regarding its military and defense projects, including its ballistic missile programme.

US President Donald Trump has warned of military action against Iran should diplomatic efforts collapse and has imposed new sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry.

(AFP)