Iran showcases new drone, missile in parade amid allegations of aiding Russia

TEHRAN: A new ballistic missile and an upgraded one-way attack drone at a military parade were unveiled by Iran on Saturday, state media reported, with rising regional tensions and allegations of arming Russia from the West. 

Western governments have accused Iran of aiding Russia with drones and missile for its war with Ukraine, an allegation that has been denied by the country repeatedly. 

The solid-fuel missile, named "Jihad", was designed and manufactured by the aerospace arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and has an operational range of 1,000km (more than 600 miles), state news agency IRNA said.

The Shahed-136B drone is an upgraded version of the Shahed-136, with new features and an operational range of more than 4,000km (2,500 miles), it added.

New President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the annual parade in Tehran, commemorating the 1980-88 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

"Today, our defensive and deterrent capabilities have grown so much that no demon even thinks about any aggression towards our dear Iran," he said.

"With unity and cohesion among Islamic countries [...] we can put in its place the bloodthirsty, genocidal usurper Israel, which shows no mercy to anyone, women or children, old or young."

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a similar tirade against Israel to delegates to an annual meeting of Muslim clerics hosted by Iran, calling on Islamic countries to "completely cut off their economic relations" with Israel and "weaken political ties."

"This inner strength can eliminate the Zionist regime, this malignant cancerous tumour, from the heart of the Islamic community in Palestine and get rid of US domination and coercive interference in the region," he said.

Middle East tensions have soared since Palestinian resistance and freedom fighting group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 sparking occupation's offensive in Gaza and drawing in Iranian allies around the region.

The tensions have intensified in recent days as the focus of Israel's firepower has shifted north to the Lebanon border where its troops have been battling Hezbollah.

An Israeli air strike on Hezbollah's Beirut stronghold on Friday killed 37 people, including two of its top commanders, Lebanese authorities said, hot on the heels of deadly sabotage attacks on the group's communications earlier this week.

Britain, France, Germany and the United States slapped new sanctions on Iran earlier this month, alleging that it had been providing ballistic missiles for Russia's war effort in Ukraine.