February 07, 2019 - 9:11 AM
TEHRAN, Iran - An Iranian news outlet says the elite Revolutionary Guard has inaugurated a surface-to-surface ballistic missile it claims has a 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) range.
The Thursday report by the semi-official Fars news agency, close to the Guard, says a ceremony marking the inauguration was held in an underground missile factory described as an "underground city."
The ceremony coincided with the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The report said the missile, dubbed Dezful, is a version of the Zolfaghar missile that has a 700-kilometre (430-mile) range and a 450-kilogram (992-pound) warhead.
Iran has missile capability of up to 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles), far enough to reach archenemy Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.
Occasionally, Iran announces military achievements that cannot be independently verified.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019