Iran on Saturday announced the successful firing of a new cruise missile amid events marking 40 years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The missile, dubbed Hoveyzeh, was described as a high-precision weapon capable of flying at low altitudes and able to carry a significant payload.
“The test of the Hoveizeh cruise missile was carried out successfully at a range of 1,200 kilometers (840 miles) and accurately hit the set target,” Defense Minister Amir Hatami said, quoted on state television which broadcast footage of its launch.
“It can be ready in the shortest possible time and flies at a very low altitude,” he said.
#Iran unveiled surface-to-surface cruise missile dubbed #Hoveyzeh that is manufactured by Defense Ministry’s Aerospace Industries Organizationhttps://t.co/vVjOpRaviE pic.twitter.com/C1LpQuMgxy— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) February 2, 2019
Hatami described the Hoveizeh as the “long arm of the Islamic Republic of Iran” in defending itself.
“The Hoveyzeh missile is the symbol of self-belief and an important defense achievement based on today’s technological progress in the world,” Hatami said.
It shows “no obstacle can hinder the Iranian nation’s determination and will in the defense field,” he said, noting statements by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that the nation “will decisively respond to any kind of threat at the same level.”
Iran’s ballistic missiles program (cruise missiles are in a different category) has been met with mounting concern in the West. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently accused Iran of testing a medium-range ballistic missile capable of “carrying multiple warheads,” which he said could strike “anywhere” in the Middle East and even parts of Europe.
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