Iran’s Armed Forces Unveil New Missiles in Military Parades Observing Sacred Defense Week

By Staff, Agencies

The Iranian Armed Forces held military parades across the country and in the Gulf waters to observe the Sacred Defense Week, which marks the anniversary of the 1980-1988 Iraq-imposed war.

The parades began at the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini in southern Tehran on Thursday morning, marking the day when the regime of ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein launched a war on Iran 42 years ago.

Similar rallies were also held in other Iranian provinces to commemorate the occasion.

Forces from the Iranian Army, the Islamic Revolution Guard [IRG], Police, Border Guards, and Basij took part in the parades.

During the parade in Tehran, Iranian Armed Forces unveiled a surface-to-surface ballistic missile, Rezvan, for the first time.

Rezvan is a liquid-fuel single-stage missile with a detachable warhead that has a range of up to 1,400 kilometers.

It can be launched from a variety of fixed and mobile platforms.

Additionally, a missile system, dubbed Khaybar Shekan, was also put on display.

The missile, which has been previously unveiled, has a range of 1,450 kilometers and enjoys high agility. It is capable of striking its designated targets with pinpoint accuracy.

Khaybar Shekan is reportedly among third-generation long-range missiles indigenously developed and manufactured by military experts at the IRG’s Aerospace Division.

It uses solid propellants and is said to be capable of penetrating into missile shields with high maneuverability during its landing stage.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made substantial headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.

Iranian officials have repeatedly warned that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, saying the Islamic Republic’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

Addressing a meeting with a group of Iranian war veterans in Tehran on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei said the Sacred Defense against the ex-Iraqi regime’s eight-year war on Iran proved that protecting the country can be achieved only through resistance.

“The Sacred Defense proved this fact that protecting the country and [achieving] deterrence can be achieved through resistance, not surrender,” Imam Khamenei said.