Iran has unveiled a new solid-fuel missile and an advanced drone amid growing tensions with the West. Western governments have accused Tehran of supplying missiles and drones to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine, a claim that Iran continues to deny.
The newly revealed Jihad missile, developed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace division, has a range of 1,000 kilometers (over 600 miles), according to the state news agency IRNA. Meanwhile, the Shahed-136B drone is an upgraded version of the Shahed-136, now boasting an operational range of over 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles).
At an annual military parade commemorating the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, President Masoud Pezeshkian celebrated the nation’s growing military capabilities. “Our defensive and deterrent strength is now so robust that no enemy dares contemplate aggression against our beloved Iran,” he said. He also called for unity among Islamic countries and condemned Israel as a “bloodthirsty, genocidal usurper.”
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei echoed these sentiments at a gathering of Muslim clerics in Tehran, urging Islamic nations to sever economic and political ties with Israel. He referred to Israel as a “malignant cancerous tumor” that should be eliminated and accused the U.S. of exerting undue influence in the region.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated significantly since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which has led to a full-scale conflict in Gaza and increased military clashes with Iran-backed Hezbollah along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
Earlier this month, Britain, France, Germany, and the United States imposed new sanctions on Iran, accusing the country of supplying ballistic missiles to Russia for its campaign in Ukraine.