Iran Unveils New Missile

Posted August 23rd, 2011 at 10:25 am (UTC-5)
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Iran has unveiled a series of new weapons and military equipment, including a cruise missile that it says has a range of 200 kilometers.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the development of the Iranian-made cruise missile on Tuesday. State-run media reports say he also unveiled a torpedo system that carries a 220-kilogram warhead and a marine engine that will be used by naval forces.

State reports say the cruise missile is called “Qader” — or “able” — in Farsi. It is described as having “high destructive power” that can be used against warships or “enemy coastal targets.”

Iran periodically makes announcements about what it says are advances in its domestically-built military equipment. In July, Tehran said it had successfully test-fired two missiles with a range of 1,900 kilometers.

In a separate development, the trial has begun for an Iranian man who is accused of having a role in the 2010 murder of a top nuclear scientist.

State-run media reports say the trial began on Tuesday for Majid Jamali-Fashi. He is described as a key suspect in the bombing that killed Massoud Ali Mohammadi.

Iran's foreign ministry blamed the killing on Israel, the U.S. and what it called “their mercenaries in Iran.” The attack was one of several against nuclear scientists.