Iran's armed forces yesterday successfully test fired a domestically produced missile which can evade radar, state television reported, a development analysts said could be worrying for Western forces in the Gulf.
Western nations have been watching developments in Iran's missile capabilities with concern amid a stand-off over the Iranian nuclear programme, which the West says is aimed at building atomic bombs. Iran says the programme is civilian.
"The missile command of the air force of the Revolutionary Guards has successfully tested a new generation of missiles," Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guards air force, told state television.
"This missile can evade radar and it can evade anti-missile missiles," he said.
"This technology is completely new, without copying any other missile systems that may exist in other countries," he said, adding that the missile could carry multiple warheads.
Television had said the type of missile tested was called Fajr-3 but Mr Salami did not name the new weapon or give the missile's range, saying it depended on the warhead weight. He said it was a defensive weapon.
The US-based military affairs website globalsecurity.org describes the Fajr-3 as a 240mm artillery rocket with a 25-mile range, one of a group of light rockets Iran has developed mainly for tactical use on the battlefield. However, it also says Iran has been working on another missile, called the Kosar, that would be undetectable by radar and designed to sink ships in the Gulf.
Accompanying the report of the test, state television showed footage of a single missile being launched from land. The television report also described it as a "long-range missile".
Iranian officials could not be reached for more details.
Lee Willett, head of the military capabilities programme at London's Royal United Services Institute, a defence think-tank, said the missile could be a worry for Western navies in the Gulf, wary of threats that could cut off shipping lanes.
"It is potentially a significant issue for coalition forces in the Gulf because there is a very important focus among the coalition navies on maritime security operations both at and from the sea, with a particular interest in what is happening from Iran," Mr Willett said.
The test was part of a week of Iranian naval manoeuvres that started yesterday and were due to take place in the Gulf and Sea of Oman. Ground and air forces are also taking part in the wargames to show Iran's "defensive capabilities", the official IRNA news agency reported.
Diplomats in Europe said this month that Iran was stepping up development of missiles capable of carrying atomic warheads. An Iranian official denied the charge.