TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran unveiled a new cruise missile with a range of over 1,350km on Saturday during celebrations marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
"This cruise missile needs a very short time for its preparedness and can fly at a low altitude,” Defense Minister Amir Hatami said during the unveiling ceremony.
Hatami said the surface-to-surface missile, named Hoveyzeh, was from the Soumar family of cruise missiles, which were unveiled in 2015.
The missile named after a city in southwest Iran known for its resistance during the 1980s Iraqi war was showcased at an exhibition of defense achievements in Tehran on Saturday.
It has high precision and accuracy and is capable of heavily destroying ground targets, the defense minister said.
Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s aerospace division, said at the event Iran had overcome initial problems in producing jet engines for cruise missiles and could now manufacture a full range of the weapons.
The flight test on Saturday was carried out on a 1,200 km range and the missile accurately hit its targets, Hatami said.
"The Hoveyzeh missile is the symbol of self-belief and an important defense achievement based on today’s technological progress in the world.”
The missile, he noted, shows that "no obstacle can hinder the Iranian nation’s determination and will in the defense field.”
Hatami cited remarks by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei who has said Iran "will decisively respond to any kind of threat at the same level.”
"The long-range Hoveyzeh cruise missile is the long arm of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the cruise missile defense field,” he said.
Iran’s "success in achieving this technology after the 700-km Soumar cruise missile is an impressive step in increasing the capabilities of the armed forces and the country’s deterrent power,” he added.
Tehran has reiterated that its missiles are defensive and used for deterrence in the face of repeated foreign threats. The country has said it will not negotiate on its missile capabilities under any circumstances.
Last September, Ayatollah Khamenei said that a military war against Iran was out of question, but called on the country’s Armed Forces to boost their capabilities.
"The Armed Forces must upgrade their human and military hardware capabilities on a daily basis through vigilance as well as efficient and dynamic management,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.