Iran on Sunday unveiled a new ballistic missile and vowed to respond if attacked, at a time of rising tensions with the US and Israel over Tehran's allied militant groups in the region.
The new solid-fuel Ghassem Basir ballistic missile has a range of 1,200km and is “immune” against THAAD and Patriot air defences used by the US and Israel, Iran's state broadcaster claimed.
Western countries have repeatedly voiced their concerns over Iran's missile and nuclear capabilities, accusing it of destabilising the region by supporting its “axis of resistance” network of militant groups in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Yemen.
Iranian state television broadcast the footage of the new missile during an interview with Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh who vowed to respond if the country were to come under attack.
“If we are attacked and war is waged against us, we will respond with force and will target their interests and their bases,” Mr Nasirzadeh said.
“We hold no animosity towards neighbouring states, but American bases are our targets.”
The renewed threats come after three rounds of talks mediated by Oman between the US and Iran. They were the highest level contacts since the UN withdrew in 2018 from a landmark agreement with world powers on Iran's nuclear programme.
Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Tehran had agreed to limit its nuclear programme − which it says is for civilian purposes − in exchange for sanctions relief.
A fourth round was scheduled in Rome on May 3 but was postponed due to logistical reasons, according to Oman and Iran.
“Unfortunately, we are witnessing that, on the one hand, American officials state that they are honest and willing to negotiate, and on the other hand, some American officials regularly and through various means threaten the Islamic Republic with a military attack,” Mr Nasirzadeh said.
Last week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran against supporting the Houthis, saying Tehran “will pay the consequence at the time and place of our choosing”.
“Message to Iran: We see your lethal support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing,” Mr Hegseth wrote on X.
Mr Hegseth, on his personal X account, later reposted a message from Donald Trump from March in which the US President said he would hold Iran responsible for any attacks carried out by the Houthi group.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday also said in an interview with Fox News that Iran must cease sponsoring militant groups and Yemen's Houthi rebels, stop “building long-range missiles that have no purpose to exist other than having nuclear weapons, and they have to walk away from enrichment”.
Iran's leader has previously said the Houthis act independently.
The renewed threats come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to respond to the Houthis, as well as to their Iranian backers, for a missile strike near Ben Gurion Airport, south-east of Tel Aviv, on Sunday.
In a video published on Telegram, Mr Netanyahu said Israel had “acted against” the Iran-backed rebels in the past and “will act in the future”.
“It will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs,” he added, without elaborating. Later on X, Mr Netanyahu said Israel would also respond to Iran at “a time and place of our choosing”.
