Iran unveils new missile, says seeks peace through strength

Published August 22, 2015
Iran unveiled a new missile called Fateh 313 on Iran's Defence Industry Day. ─ AFP Photo/File
Iran unveiled a new missile called Fateh 313 on Iran's Defence Industry Day. ─ AFP Photo/File

DUBAI: Iran on Saturday unveiled a new surface-to-surface missile it said could strike targets with pin-point accuracy within a range of 500 km and it said military might was a precondition for peace and effective diplomacy.

The defence ministry's unveiling of the solid-fuel missile, named Fateh 313, came little more than a month after Iran and world powers reached a deal that requires Tehran to abide by new limits on its nuclear programme in return for Western governments easing economic sanctions.

According to that deal, any transfer to Iran of ballistic missile technology during the next eight years will be subject to the approval of the United Nations Security Council, and the United States has promised to veto any such requests.

An arms embargo on conventional weapons also stays, preventing their import and export for five years.

But Iran has said it will not follow parts of the nuclear deal that restricts its military capabilities, a stance reaffirmed by President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday.

"We will buy, sell and develop any weapons we need and we will not ask for permission or abide by any resolution for that," he said in a speech at the unveiling ceremony broadcast live on state television.

Know more: Iran demands end to UN missile sanctions, West refuses

"We can negotiate with other countries only when we are powerful. If a country does not have power and independence, it cannot seek real peace," he said.

The defence ministry said the Fateh 313, unveiled on Iran's Defence Industry Day, had already been successfully tested and that mass production would start soon.

Threats

Iran has one of the largest missile programmes in the Middle East. It wants to export arms to its allies in the region and import anti-missile systems to prevent any possible attack by its arch-foe Israel.

"In our aerospace industry we have various ballistic missiles with different ranges under production," Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said on Friday.

"We will continue this path with maximum power in line with our defensive needs and proportionate to threats ahead of us."

Read more: Iran makes new proposal at nuclear talks; West unimpressed

Fars news agency, which is close to the country's Revolutionary Guards, released a music video on Saturday praising Iran's missile capabilities. It contained pictures of what the agency called a new and unknown missile of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

A senior IRGC commander said on Friday, Iran would hold a large ballistic missile manoeuvre in the near future.

"Some wrongly think Iran has suspended its ballistic missile programmes in the last two years and has made a deal on its missile programme ... We will have a new ballistic missile test in the near future that will be a thorn in the eyes of our enemies," the commander of the aerospace division of the IRGC, Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, said on Friday.

Opinion

Four hundred seats?

Four hundred seats?

The mix of divisive cultural politics and grow­th-oriented economics that feeds Hindu middle-class ambition and provides targeted welfare are key ingredients in the BJP’s political trajectory.

Editorial

Weathering the storm
Updated 29 Apr, 2024

Weathering the storm

Let 2024 be the year when we all proactively ensure that our communities are safeguarded and that the future is secure against the inevitable next storm.
Afghan repatriation
29 Apr, 2024

Afghan repatriation

COMPARED to the roughshod manner in which the caretaker set-up dealt with the issue, the elected government seems a...
Trying harder
29 Apr, 2024

Trying harder

IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before...
Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.