Article Posted on : - Jan 03, 2012

A file photo.

TEHRAN (BNS): Iran, in a defiant show of strength, has test-fired three different missiles during the Navy-led 'Velayat-90' military drill near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

The missile tests come amidst escalating tension between the Islamic Republic and the West for imposing tough economic sanctions against the former over its nuclear programme.

While earlier on Monday the Iranian Navy test launched the Ghader ground-to-ship cruise missile followed by the short-range Nasr anti-ship missile, it later test-fired the surface-to-surface Noor missile, the state media reported.

Iranian naval vessel fired the Noor missile which could trace and hit target successfully, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Noor missile an - improved type of its older generation - is an anti radar system with an ability of engaging in electronic warfare, the report said, without mentioning its range.

The 10-day Velayat-90 exercise, which began near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route in the Gulf, concludes on Tuesday.