Iran Unveils New Drone, Missile amid Rising Tensions

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, second left, listens to commander of the Revolutionary Guard's ground force Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, left, as the army commander Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, right, stands while they review an annual armed forces parade marking the anniversary of the beginning of war against Iran by former Iraq's Saddam Hussein 44 years ago, in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, second left, listens to commander of the Revolutionary Guard's ground force Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, left, as the army commander Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, right, stands while they review an annual armed forces parade marking the anniversary of the beginning of war against Iran by former Iraq's Saddam Hussein 44 years ago, in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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Iran Unveils New Drone, Missile amid Rising Tensions

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, second left, listens to commander of the Revolutionary Guard's ground force Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, left, as the army commander Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, right, stands while they review an annual armed forces parade marking the anniversary of the beginning of war against Iran by former Iraq's Saddam Hussein 44 years ago, in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, second left, listens to commander of the Revolutionary Guard's ground force Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, left, as the army commander Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, right, stands while they review an annual armed forces parade marking the anniversary of the beginning of war against Iran by former Iraq's Saddam Hussein 44 years ago, in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran unveiled a new ballistic missile and an upgraded one-way attack drone at a military parade on Saturday, state media said, amid soaring regional tensions and allegations of arming Russia.

Iran stands accused by Western governments of supplying both drones and missiles to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, a charge it has repeatedly denied.

The solid-fuel Jihad missile was designed and manufactured by the aerospace arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and has an operational range of 1,000 kilometers (more than 600 miles), state news agency IRNA said.

The Shahed-136B drone is an upgraded version of the Shahed-136, with new features and an operational range of more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles), it added.

New President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the annual parade in Tehran, commemorating the 1980-88 war with Iraq.

"Today, our defensive and deterrent capabilities have grown so much that no demon even thinks about any aggression towards our dear Iran," he said.

"With unity and cohesion among Islamic countries... we can put in its place the bloodthirsty, genocidal usurper Israel, which shows no mercy to anyone, women or children, old or young."

Supreme leader Ali Khamenei delivered a similar tirade against Israel to delegates to an annual meeting of Muslim clerics hosted by Iran, calling on Islamic countries to "completely cut off their economic relations" with Israel and "weaken political ties."

"This inner strength can eliminate the Zionist regime, this malignant cancerous tumor, from the heart of the Islamic community in Palestine and get rid of US domination and coercive interference in the region," he said.

Middle East tensions have soared since Iran-backed Palestinian armed group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 sparking war in Gaza and drawing in Iranian allies around the region.

The tensions have intensified in recent days as the focus of Israel's firepower has shifted north to the Lebanon border where its troops have been battling Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

An Israeli air strike on Hezbollah's Beirut stronghold on Friday killed 31 people, including two of its top commanders, Lebanese authorities said, hot on the heels of deadly sabotage attacks on the group's communications earlier this week.

Britain, France, Germany and the United States slapped new sanctions on Iran earlier this month, alleging that it had been providing ballistic missiles for Russia's war effort in Ukraine.



Israel Clears Path for Potential Strike on Iran's Nuclear Sites

Smoke rises near Iran’s Abadan refinery on June 14, 2025 (Reuters)
Smoke rises near Iran’s Abadan refinery on June 14, 2025 (Reuters)
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Israel Clears Path for Potential Strike on Iran's Nuclear Sites

Smoke rises near Iran’s Abadan refinery on June 14, 2025 (Reuters)
Smoke rises near Iran’s Abadan refinery on June 14, 2025 (Reuters)

Israel's top military officials on Saturday issued a stark warning that the path to Tehran is now “paved,” signaling the possibility of a broader confrontation with Iran that could include strikes on additional nuclear sites.

The comments by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar came after a high-level security assessment meeting, following what Israeli media described as a dramatic and unprecedented aerial assault on Iranian territory late Friday and early Saturday.

The Israeli military confirmed in a statement that the air force had launched a wave of airstrikes on dozens of targets in the Iranian capital, including infrastructure linked to surface-to-air missile systems.

“In accordance with our operational plans, our aircraft have begun targeting sites in Tehran,” the military said.

Bar confirmed the strikes, saying they were aimed at degrading Iran’s air defense capabilities in the Tehran area. “Dozens of Israeli warplanes flew over Tehran for the first time since the start of the conflict, striking multiple defensive systems,” he said, adding that operations will continue across all fronts.

“These were precision strikes of operational and national significance, aimed at enhancing our air superiority and freedom of action deep inside Iran,” Bar said.

“We chose to act with professionalism, determination, and accuracy in confronting an existential threat to the safety of our citizens. This is the first time such a number of Israeli aircraft have operated over Tehran, more than 1,500 kilometers from our borders.”

The military said the strikes delivered a direct blow to the Iranian regime’s air defense infrastructure near Tehran.

The reference to a “paved road” to the Iranian capital echoed that assessment — interpreted by analysts as a message that Israel now views Tehran as within reach of sustained military operations.

Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iran were carefully designed to dismantle Tehran’s air defenses and long-range strike capabilities, with analysts saying the country’s nuclear facilities — considered the ultimate target — were not the immediate priority.

Military affairs commentator Avi Ashkenazi wrote in Maariv that while Iran’s nuclear sites remain Israel’s top strategic objective, they were not the most urgent threat.

Instead, the Israeli Air Force focused on two primary axes in its latest operation: neutralizing Iran’s air defense systems and destroying its capabilities to launch ballistic missiles and armed drones.

Ashkenazi said the air campaign was initially devised by Halevi and Bar, and later refined with current military chief Zamir. The targets were prioritized based on the immediacy of the threat, rather than long-term strategic importance.

Israel’s Channel 12 correspondent Nir Dvori reported that among the targets hit during the strikes was a hangar housing fighter jets, underscoring a wider plan to expand operations inside Iranian territory.

Dvori added that within a day of launching the assault, the Israeli Air Force had successfully “cleared the path” to Tehran, now operating freely in Iranian airspace without facing resistance.

The earlier comments by Zamir and Bar about a “paved road” to Tehran were widely interpreted as confirmation of this operational freedom.

A separate Channel 12 report said Israeli forces completed the destruction of several air defense systems en route to Tehran, effectively “clearing the way” and removing key threats.

This, it said, would pave the way for future strikes of varying scope, targeting a wider range of objectives inside the Iranian capital based on years of military planning and capability development.

Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli military had destroyed the majority of Iran’s air defense batteries, while Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said the unprecedented operation allowed Israeli warplanes to fly at various altitudes over Tehran with minimal interference.

The broadcaster added that taking out Iranian air defenses was currently Israel’s most urgent military priority.