Iran has unveiled a new ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
A video showing a test launch was published online, and follows confirmation this week by Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant that Tehran is arming merchant ships and creating “floating terrorist bases in the maritime space of the Middle East”.
The Kheibar missile is the latest version of the Khorramshahr, Iran’s longest ranging missile to date. It is a liquid fuel missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres and a 1,500 kilogram warhead, capable of reaching Israel. The missile’s name refers to the ancient town of Khaybar, known for a seventh-century battle in which the army of the Prophet Muhammad killed thousands of Jews.
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”. “Our message to Iran’s enemies is that we will defend the country and its achievements”, he added.
In an address at a security conference this week hosted by the Institute for Policy and Strategy of Reichman University in Herzliya, Israeli Defence Minister Gallant told attendees that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was arming merchant ships and turning them into military vessels. He presented six images of former Iranian trading vessels equipped with military systems including drones, missiles, and surveillance equipment, referring to it as Iran’s “pirate policy”.
The Defence Minister stated that “the floating terror bases are an extension of Iran’s ongoing maritime terrorism, as seen in its actions in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea” as “Iran aims to expand its reach to the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and even the shores of the Mediterranean”. “This is a structured plan designed to threaten trade and flight routes – both military and civilian – and to create a permanent threat in the maritime arena”, he added.
“Only international cooperation and the creation of coalitions against the terrorism spread from Tehran – along with placing a credible military threat in front of every arena – will lead to an optimal confrontation with Iranian terrorism, in the air, at sea, and on land”, Gallant concluded.
In recent years, Iran has attacked and seized several vessels and oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz including British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero in 2019. In February of this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of attacking an Israeli-linked oil tanker which Iran denied.
