Tel Aviv: In parallel – while Iran is “inches” from assembling a nuclear bomb, it test launched a ballistic missile from a navy ship. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on February 13 said that it has launched long-range ballistic missiles from a warship for the first time.
According to Iran International, a website operated from London by the opposition to the regime, the IRGC launched two ballistic missiles from the Shahid Mahdavi warship.
The IRGC claims that the missiles can strike targets up to 1,700 kilometres (1,050 miles) away. “The IRGC has initiated the firing of ballistic missiles in the Gulf of Oman for the first time,” state television reported.
IRGC Chief Hossein Salami stated, “The launch of a long-range ballistic missile from the warship was executed with success.” In a warning on February 13, Salami said, “In the event of a naval conflict and our ships being targeted, we will respond with equal or greater force.”
Additionally, state television reported that the IRGC conducted a simulation of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile strike on Israel’s Palmachim airbase from central Iran. According to the report, the base serves as a critical facility for F-35 fighter jets in Israel.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
