Iran unveiled a new missile system during its military parade to mark the National Army Day on Wednesday, despite U.S. pressure against the development of Iranian ballistic missiles.
The new missile system “Kamin-2”, is a low-flying projectile that targets unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at a low height, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. The system is the upgraded version of a missile known as Mersad, indigenized and upgraded by Iranian experts.
In addition to the new missile, Iran unveiled helicopters armed with rockets and machine guns during the parade. The country’s Army also presented a new short-range air-launched missile named “Shafaq” (Twilight), and this missile is an upgrade of an earlier version with a longer range.
"The range of the missile has doubled to fly 8 to 12 km farther compared with the previous version and given the regional threats that we are facing, they can be highly effective in short-range combat zones," Iranian Army Airborne Commander General Yousef Qorbani said on April 16, two days ahead of the parade.
Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Force Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari told the reporters during the parade that the range of chopper-launched missiles has increased three-fold, and added that such a range for the missiles mounted on Iranian choppers outstrips even those of the world’s advanced helicopters.
On Monday, the Army Ground Force Airborne Unit unveiled a series of homegrown equipment and achievements extending the capabilities of its helicopters, and a program to equip all choppers with night-vision cameras, and a plan for arming the reconnaissance, logistical and transportation helicopters with rocket-launchers and heavy machine guns.
The unveiling of these new advanced ballistic missiles might be considered a part of Iran’s deterrence policy, coming against the background of the efforts by the U.S. and European allies to crack down on Iran's missile production, and the Trump administration’s pending decision of whether or not to abandon the nuclear deal.
The United States and international powers are mainly concerned on the development of the Iranian missile systems.
The Trump administration accuses Tehran of violating the “spirit” of the nuclear deal pointing to its continued tests of ballistic missiles. In August, Trump signed a bill passed by the U.S. Congress to impose a new round of sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic missile program. In February, the U.S. had imposed sanctions on additional Iranian entities, after Iran test-fired a ballistic missile one month earlier.
Iran is also accused of transferring ballistic missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen that may have been used in launches aimed at Saudi Arabia, in July, November 2017 and March 2018. In addition, the Trump administration has been trying to include shorter-range missiles capable of striking Israel into any new deal.
Addressing the military parade in Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that "we are not seeking for tension", adding that "we will produce or provide any weapons needed for defense for the Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps".