Iran successfully test-fires 2,000 km-range ballistic missile
Tehran, May 25 (EFE).- Iran Thursday successfully test-fired a 2,000 km-range ballistic missile that can carry a 1,500-kg of warhead.
The armed forces unveiled Kheibar, the fourth generation of the Iranian Khorramshahr ballistic missile, in a ceremony attended by Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani on Thursday morning, the state-run Iranian News Agency said.
The missile has one of the most advanced liquid-fuel engines.
The engine is placed in the fuel tank, effectively reducing the missile length to about 13 meters, Mehr news agency said.
The unveiling ceremony was held to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of Khorramshahr city from Iraq in 1982.
State TV showed footage of the launch, showing the missile taking off and flying over a desert area.
Iran has developed a national arms industry during the last four decades due to the international embargo, with a particular interest in missiles.
It has several missiles with a 2,000-km range, enough to reach Israel.
Iranian ballistic missiles have raised concerns in the United States, Europe, and some Middle Eastern countries.
Iranian authorities say its weapons program is for defensive and deterrent purposes.
The Iranian ballistic program was one of the reasons cited by then-US President Donald Trump for withdrawing from the multilateral nuclear agreement in 2018 and reimposing sanctions on Tehran.
Negotiations to recover the pact that limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions have paralyzed for months. EFE
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