According to Iran’s state media, the Islamic Republic has conducted a successful launch of a new ballistic missile this Wednesday, a potential response to the recent threats of attack by Israeli officials.
This Wednesday, Iran’s state media reported that the Islamic Republic has successfully carried out launching a 2,000 kilometer-range new ballistic missile. The missile test was conducted two days after the chief of Israel’s armed forces threatened to restore to “action” against Tehran over recent developments in its nuclear program.
According to the report, Iranian military officials noted that the new test was one of the biggest missile tests in the Middle East, and that its weapons are capable of reaching Israel and United States bases in the region.
“Our message to Iran’s enemies is that we will defend the country and its achievements. Our message to our friends is that we want to help regional stability,” said Iranian Defense Minister Mohammadreza Ashtiani in a statement after the missile test.
Despite the propaganda from the US and European countries against Iran’s missile program and introducing it as a threat to peace and security in the Middle East region, Tehran has said countless times that its missile program is all “defensive”.
Footage of an upgraded version of Iran’s Khoramshahr 4 ballistic missile with a range of 2,000km that can carry a 1,500-kilogram warhead was shown in Iran’s state media. The Khorramshahr-4 is named after an Iranian city that was the scene of heavy fighting during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. The missile also is called Kheibar, after a Jewish fortress conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century, in what is now Saudi Arabia.
A response to Israel’s Tuesday threat?
Israel, which Tehran does not recognize as a state and sees as an occupying regime, perceives Iran as an existential threat. Iran, for its part, says that its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the US, Israel and other potential regional adversaries that plan to attack Iran.
Iran’s narration seems to be more accurate as on this Tuesday, the top Israeli general threatened Iran of restoring to “action” against the Islamic Republic if Iran continues to move forward with its suspicious nuclear program.
“Iran has advanced with uranium enrichment further than ever before … There are negative developments on the horizon that could bring about (military) action,” Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, chief of Israel’s armed forces, said in a speech on Tuesday. Likewise, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told coalition lawmakers last week that “we are constantly surprising Iran”, and that “our enemies should know that we are ahead of you. Way ahead”.
But it is good to mention here that this Monday, satellite images shoed that Iran is digging tunnels in the mountain near the Natanz nuclear site to build yet another nuclear facility. The new site is so deep into the mountains that it is likely beyond the range of a U.S. weapon designed to destroy such sites.
Meanwhile, Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons and has been a member to the Non-Proliferation Treaty since the birth of it back in 1956, an international non-proliferation regime that Israel has never been a member of. In addition, Israel possesses dozens of nuclear weapons, while Iran has zero nuke bombs.
