Iran reveals new drone, missile amid rising regional tensions

President Masoud Pezeshkian (top-R) and commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force Amir Ali Hajizadeh look on as Iran's new 'Jihad' missile is displayed on September 21, 2024. (Photo/AFP)

Iran has unveiled a new ballistic missile and an upgraded one-way attack drone at a military parade amid soaring regional tensions and allegations of arming Russia.

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 (more than 600 miles), state news agency IRNA said on Saturday.

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 (2,500 miles), it added.

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

"Today, our defencive 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."

'Eliminate the Zionist regime'

Supreme leader Ali Khamenei delivered a similar speech against Israel to delegates to an annual meeting of Shia clerics hosted by Iran, calling on 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 Israel's war on Gaza —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 group 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, a charge it has repeatedly denied.

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Source: TRT