Iran Unveils Missile With a Range of 1,450km

FILE PHOTO: An Iranian flag is pictured near in a missile during a military drill, with the participation of Iran’s Air Defense units, Iran October 19, 2020. Picture taken October 19, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSREUTERS
FILE PHOTO: An Iranian flag is pictured near in a missile during a military drill, with the participation of Iran’s Air Defense units, Iran October 19, 2020. Picture taken October 19, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSREUTERS
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Iran Unveils Missile With a Range of 1,450km

FILE PHOTO: An Iranian flag is pictured near in a missile during a military drill, with the participation of Iran’s Air Defense units, Iran October 19, 2020. Picture taken October 19, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSREUTERS
FILE PHOTO: An Iranian flag is pictured near in a missile during a military drill, with the participation of Iran’s Air Defense units, Iran October 19, 2020. Picture taken October 19, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSREUTERS

Iran unveiled a new missile with a range of 1,450 kilometers on Wednesday, the semi-official news agency Tasnim said.

The missile was displayed during a visit by top Iranian military leaders to the elite Revolutionary Guards' (IRGC) missile bases, Tasnim said, Reuters reported.

"The strategic weapon is a third-generation long-range missile developed by the IRGC that is propelled by solid fuel and is capable of penetrating missile shields with high manoeuvrability," Tasnim said.

"The modified design of "Kheibarshekan" has reduced its weight by a third compared to similar missiles", it added, while the preparation time needed for its launch has been cut to one sixth of what is normally required.

Delegates at the talks in Vienna say they have made limited progress since they resumed in November. Western powers say little time remains before Iran's nuclear advances make the 2015 deal restricting them redundant.

Iran's top security official, Ali Shamkhani, criticized the United States' approach on Wednesday.

"Voices from the US government show there is no coherence in that country to make political decisions in the direction of advancing the Vienna talks," he tweeted.

Also, Iranian armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said Wednesday his country will continue advancing its ballistic missile program.

"We will continue on the path of growth, development an excellence for our missile power, both in terms of quantity and quality," he said.

This comes one day after the resumption of indirect talks in Vienna on salvaging Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.



Trudeau Says He Will Step Down after New Liberal Party Leader Named

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Canada on January 6, 2025. (AFP)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Canada on January 6, 2025. (AFP)
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Trudeau Says He Will Step Down after New Liberal Party Leader Named

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Canada on January 6, 2025. (AFP)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Canada on January 6, 2025. (AFP)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he will step down as leader of the ruling Liberals after nine years in office but will stay on in his post until the party chooses a replacement.

Trudeau, under heavy pressure from Liberal legislators to quit amid polls showing the party will be crushed at the next election, said at a news conference that parliament would be suspended until March 24.

That means an election is unlikely to be held before May and Trudeau will still be prime minister when US President-elect Donald Trump - who has threatened tariffs that would cripple Canada's economy - takes office on Jan. 20.

"This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," Trudeau said.

Trudeau, 53, took office in November 2015 and won reelection twice, becoming one of Canada's longest-serving prime ministers.

But his popularity started dipping two years ago amid public anger over high prices and a housing shortage, and his fortunes never recovered.

Polls show the Liberals will badly lose to the official opposition Conservatives in an election that must be held by late October, regardless of who the leader is.

Parliament was due to resume on Jan. 27 and opposition parties had vowed to bring down the government as soon as they could, most likely at the end of March. But if parliament does not return until March 24, the earliest they could present a non-confidence motion would be some time in May.

Trudeau said he had asked Canada's Governor General, the representative of King Charles in the country, to prorogue parliament and she had granted that request.

Trudeau had until recently been able to fend off Liberal legislators worried about the poor showing in polls and the loss of safe seats in two special elections last year.

But calls for him to step aside have soared since last month, when he tried to demote Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, one of his closest cabinet allies, after she pushed back against his proposals for more spending.

Freeland quit instead and penned a letter accusing Trudeau of "political gimmicks" rather than focusing on what was best for the country.

"Removing me from the equation as the leader who will fight the next election for the Liberal Party should also decrease the level of polarization that we're seeing right now in the House and in Canadian politics," Trudeau said.

The Conservatives are led by Pierre Poilievre, a career politician who rose to prominence in early 2022 when he supported truck drivers who took over the center of Ottawa as part of a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.