Iran just showed off its newest homegrown long-range ballistic missile and kamikaze drone during a major parade held by the country’s armed forces, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. This parade took place at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, in southern Tehran. It marked the kickoff of Sacred Defense Week, which honors the eight-year Iran–Iraq war from the 1980s.
The ballistic missile, named Jahad, and the drone, called Shahed-136B, made their debut at the event. The Jahad missile is a one-stage weapon powered by solid fuel, capable of hitting targets up to 1,000 km away with impressive precision. The Aerospace Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) developed this missile, as reported by Xinhua.
On the other hand, the Shahed 136B drone, which runs on a turbojet engine, can take out targets located over 2,500 km away. Like the missile, it was also designed and built by the IRGC’s Aerospace Force.
During the parade, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized that Iran stands ready to defend itself and promote peace and security in the West Asia region by fostering unity and cooperation with other Muslim nations. He stated, “Today, Iran’s defense and deterrence power has increased to such a level that no devil dares to perpetrate any act of aggression against the country, or even thinks of it,” as noted in a statement from his office.