Article Posted on : - Nov 12, 2008

Iran test-fires a new generation missile. Photo from Press TV

DUBAI (BNS): Iran on Wednesday claimed that it had test-fired a next generation surface-to-surface missile with a 2000-km range during war games near the Iraqi border.

Reacting swiftly, the US state department deputy spokesperson Robert Wood said that the latest Iranian ballistic missile test was a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions. “We will talk to our allies to build broad international pressure on Iran to stop carrying out these missile tests because they are not good for stability in the region,” Wood said.

Meanwhile, state-funded Press TV reported quoting Iranian defence ministry as saying that the new missile is called ‘Sejjil’, and “burns a combination of solid and liquid fuel.”

“This feature significantly improves ‘Sejjil's precision compared to earlier long-range Iranian missiles such as the Shahab 3,” the report said.

“The missile has been fully developed and manufactured at the Aeronautics Department of Iran's Defence Ministry. According to Iranian officials, the launch of ‘Sejjil’ followed a year-long project aimed at boosting the country's deterrent capabilities,” the report added.

“The testing of this missile has been carried out within the framework of our defensive deterrent doctrine and the Islamic Republic's standard missile activities,” Iranian defence minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar was quoted as saying by agencies.

Najjar claimed that ‘Sejjil’ had a range of about 2000 km, similar to Shahab 3. The Iranian media claimed it was a two-stage missile using combined solid fuel giving it a high launching speed.