Iran Test Fires Cruise Missile in Naval Drill

Iran

June 18th, 10:58am

Asharq Al-Awsat

In this photo provided Thursday, June 18, 2020, by the Iranian Army, a warship launches a missile during a naval exercise. State media reported Thursday that Iran test fired cruise missiles in a naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman and northern Indian Ocean. AP

Iran test fired a "new generation" of cruise missiles in a naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman and northern Indian Ocean, state media reported Thursday. The missiles destroyed targets at a distance of 280 kilometers (170 miles), the official IRNA news agency reported, noting that the missiles' range can be extended. The armed forces' website also published pictures of the drill showing missiles being fired from a warship and the back of a truck, and a vessel exploding out at sea. A video released said some of the missiles were based on "older platforms that have been updated," AFP reported. The report was the first of a drill since May, when a missile fired during an Iranian training exercise mistakenly struck an Iranian naval vessel instead of its intended target in waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, killing 19 sailors and wounding 15 others. In April, the US accused Tehran of conducting “dangerous and harassing” maneuvers near US warships in the northern Arabian Gulf. Iran also was suspected of briefly seizing a Hong Kong-flagged oil tanker before that, according to the Associated Press.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2341156/iran-test-fires-cruise-missile-naval-drill