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.



Gas Station Explodes in Rome, Injuring at Least 9 First Responders

Emergency services personnel work at the scene where a gas station exploded on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, July 4, 2025. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERS
Emergency services personnel work at the scene where a gas station exploded on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, July 4, 2025. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERS
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Gas Station Explodes in Rome, Injuring at Least 9 First Responders

Emergency services personnel work at the scene where a gas station exploded on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, July 4, 2025. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERS
Emergency services personnel work at the scene where a gas station exploded on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, July 4, 2025. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERS

A gas station exploded early on Friday in southeastern Rome, injuring at least nine people including eight police officers and a firefighter, police and rescuers said.

The explosion was heard across the Italian capital shortly after 8 a.m., sending up a huge cloud of dark smoke and fire visible from several areas of the city, reported the Associated Press.

Elisabetta Accardo, a spokesperson for the Roman police, said that eight police officers were injured after arriving for rescue operations.

“There were a few chain explosions after the first one,” Accardo told Italian state broadcaster RAI. “All the policemen injured suffered burns, but they are not in danger of life.”

Fire department spokesperson Luca Cari said one firefighter was also injured in the explosion, but “not seriously.” Ten teams were at work on the site, he added.

Police said they were checking the whole surrounding area for people who were injured or trapped in nearby buildings.

There was no immediate indication of the cause of the explosion.