Iran has unveiled two new missiles named after the deceased head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, Gen Qassem Suleimani, and an Iraqi militia leader, state TV reported. The move comes amid heightened tensions with the US over international arms embargo. The missiles, unveiled on the country’s National Defence Industry Day, are named after Gen Suleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, who were killed outside Baghdad’s international airport in a US strike in January. The “Martyr Hajj Qassem” surface-to-surface ballistic missile has a 1,400-kilometre range, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. State TV said the “Martyr Abu Mahdi” naval cruise missile has a 1,000-kilometre range. The station also said the “Martyr Hajj Qassem” missile had not been intercepted by a defence system during a test. Also on Thursday, Iran unveiled a fourth-generation light turbo-fan engine for its advanced drones and inaugurated the production line of its domestically produced “Owj” engine for the Iranian-made twin-seat Kowsar fighter jet. Iran routinely unveils technological achievements for its armed forces, its space programme and its nuclear efforts. President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement between Iran and six major powers, in 2018, and tensions between the two countries have escalated since. The US is now looking to trigger “snapback” sanctions on Iran outlined in the 2015 deal despite having withdrawn. The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said they would submit the official complaint about Iran’s non-compliance with the terms of the international agreement in a letter to the 15-member UN Security Council. The move comes after the Council rejected Washington’s bid to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Iran.
