Iran has displayed 16 ballistic missiles and a new projectile featuring multiple warheads, “Zolfaqar” along with warplanes and tanks during the annual military parade Wednesday. In a direct show of force and military might against the United States and Israel, Tehran has showcased scores of weapons ranging from tanks, missile systems, warplanes and long-range missiles across the country.
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At the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf, the navy showed off 500 vessels, as well as submarines and helicopters, at a time of high tension with the United States in the strategic waterway.
The test launch of an Iranian ballistic missile received global attention in March because the missile had the phrase “Israel must be wiped from the face of the earth” inscribed on it in Hebrew.
The parade at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in Tehran saw the participation of military units from the army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
U.S. officials cited by Reuters said Iran has had over 30 encounters this year with USA vessels in the Persian Gulf.
Similar parades are also being held nationwide to mark the occasion.
He says Iran will continue to develop new “defense systems”, including ballistic missiles that have been the subject of worldwide condemnation.
Also on display was the Qadr H missile, which has a range of 2,000 km, according to state TV. This was a nod to a failed US-sponsored invasion of Cuba in April 1961 that was meant to topple Fidel Castro’s communist regime.
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Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Baqeri said Iran’s sacred defense taught a lesson to those who provided fianacial and military aid for the Ba’ath regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Enrichment at the site, around 100km south of Teheran, has stopped since the implementation in January of Iran’s agreement with world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for an easing of sanctions.
