Iran has unveiled a new missile, Ghassed 3(Messenger), on Thursday in a military exhibition in Tehran, Mehr news agency reports.
The weapon is presented as a air-launched cruise missile, although details of its capabilities have not been fully disclosed.
According to Mehr, the Ghassed 3 can be carried by Iran’s aging F4 American jets, a few of which have remained in service from the 1970s, when Iran was a major client of U.S. arms and its airforce was equipped with F4s.
The brief information says that the missile can be guided by the pilot who receives images transmitted to the cockpit.
Mehr adds that the missile is in its last stages of tests. There have been other announcements of new weapons systems in the past that have seemingly not progressed beyond the design stage.
As tensions with the U.S. have intensified in the past one year, Iran often announces new weapons systems to show it is a strong military power; both to the outside world and to its domestic audience.
Iran’s ballistic missile program is one reason why President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal and both the U.S. and European powers are putting pressure on Tehran to curb its missile program.