Successfully Launching New Ballistic Missiles, Iranian Defense Minister: Message To The Enemy, We Will Defend The State

Iran's Kheibar missile launch (Source: Screenshot of The Sun's YouTube channel)

JAKARTA - Iran successfully conducted a test launch of a ballistic missile with a potential distance of 2,000 km on Thursday, state media said, two days after the Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Armed Forces stepped up prospects for "actions" against Tehran over its nuclear program.

Iran, said its weapons were capable of reaching its arch-enemy bases, Israel and the United States, in the region.

Despite opposition by the US and Europe, the Tehran Government said it would continue to develop a "resistance" missile program.

"Our message to Iran's enemies is, we will defend the country and its achievements. Our message to our friends, we want to help regional stability," Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani said.

State TV broadcasts several seconds of footage of what it says is launching an upgraded version of Iran's Khoramshahr 4 ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 km (1,243 miles) and capable of carrying a warhead weighing 1,500 kg (3,300 pounds).

Meanwhile, state news agency IRNA said the liquid-fuel missile was named "Kheibar", referring to a Jewish castle invaded by Muslim fighters in the early days of Islam.

"The extraordinary features of the domestically built Kheibar missile, including rapid preparation and launch times, make it a tactical weapon alongside strategic weapons," he explained.

Israel sees Iran as an existential threat. Iran says its ballistic missile is an important deterrent force and retaliation against the United States, Israel and other regional enemies.

An Israeli military spokesman said they did not comment on matters such as Tehran's missile launch.

As previously reported, Israel's top general debated the possibility of military action against Iran, as efforts by six countries around the world to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal have stalled since last September, amid growing Western concerns about Tehran's increasingly rapid nuclear progress.