Iran test-fires new ballistic missile defying US warnings

Iran’s Khoramshahr missile is displayed by the Revolutionary Guard during a military parade marking the 37th anniversary of Iraq’s 1980 invasion of Iran. (source AP photo)

Iran successfully tested a new medium-range ballistic missile Khoramshahr on Saturday, with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), defying US warnings that it was ready to ditch a historic nuclear deal over the issue, reported news agency AFP. The missile was unveiled during a military parade in Tehran that commemorated the 1980s Iraq-Iran war on Friday. The launch was telecast by the state television.

On Thursday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all major policies in Iran, said Trump’s “cheap, ugly, foolish and unreal” remarks before the U.N. General Assembly were a sign of desperation. During a meeting with a clerical assembly, Khamenei said such comments “do not come from power, but from anger, desperation and weak-mindedness.”

Trump has vowed repeatedly to take a tougher line toward Iran than his predecessor, threatening at various times to renegotiate or even dismantle the nuclear deal, and shoot Iranian boats out of the water if they provoke U.S. naval vessels in the Persian Gulf.