Iran unveils short-range missiles, drones

As reported in 'The Japan News' : Iran unveils short-range missiles, drones August 24, 2014 The Associated Press TEHRAN (AP)—Iran unveiled a new generation of short-range marine missiles and aerial drones on Sunday, as President Hassan Rouhani said its military doctrine was based on deterring and countering threats from unnamed foreign powers. The official IRNA news agency said the Ghadir missile, with a range of 100 kilometers, is designed to destroy marine targets. It did not give a range for the Nasr-e Basir cruise missile, but said it could “operate in silence,” without elaborating. Iran also unveiled two new drones, the high-altitude Karrar-4 and the Mohajer-4. The latter can be used to generate maps for both military and civilian purposes, IRNA said. At a ceremony marking the inauguration, Rouhani reiterated that his country was not seeking nuclear weapons but said it would not ignore threats. “We do not sit idly by with regard to threats. We do not remain calm towards plots by the enemy,” he said in a speech broadcast live by state TV, without elaborating. Iran has long accused the United States, which maintains military bases just across the Gulf in Arab countries, of plotting to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Rouhani, a relative moderate elected last year on a promise to engage the West diplomatically, said Iran’s military doctrine is based on “deterrence and effective defense.” Tehran regularly announces military advances that cannot be independently verified.