Iran has built a new missile able to hit targets 2,000 km (1,250 miles) away, Iranian Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said.

The Islamic Republic already has another missle, the Shahab-3, that is capable of reaching a similar distance. It could hit Israel and has previously been viewed as Iran's longest range weapon.

Najjar, whose comments were carried by the Fars News Agency, did not say how the new missile differed from the Shahab-3. "The construction of the Ashoura missile, with the range of 2,000 km, is among the accomplishments of the Defence Ministry," he said.

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