Iran launches long-range ‘ballistic missile’

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday it had fired a long-range ballistic missile from a warship for the first time.
During the naval exercise, two ballistic missiles capable of attacking targets up to 1,700 km away were launched from Shahid Mahdavi. “The IRGC has fired a ballistic missile into the Gulf of Oman for the first time,” state television said.
IRGC chief Hossein Salami said, “The long-range ballistic missile has been successfully launched from the warship.”
Separately, state television reported that the IRGC in central Iran simulated a surface-to-surface ballistic missile attack on Israel’s Palmachim airbase south of Tel Aviv. According to the report, Palmachim is the “main base of F-35 fighter jets” in Israel.
The Iranian military exercise comes at a time of heightened regional tensions following the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7. The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize Israel and has long waged a shadow war of assassination and sabotage against Israel.
Tehran has made support for the Palestinian cause central to its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Western countries have repeatedly expressed concern over Iran’s missile program.