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Part of deterrent doctrine: Iran

— Photo: AP

The Sejil missile being testfired on Wednesday.

DUBAI: There has been no let up in sabre rattling involving Iran and the U.S., with Tehran saying it had tested a new generation missile.

Iran’s Press TV said on Wednesday the two-stage missile which was fired used a combination of solid and liquid fuel during its launch.

Solid fuel is more compact and can enhance the range of missiles.

Besides, these weapons can be launched quickly, making their detection and possible destruction on the ground before they are fired, more difficult to achieve.

The new missile named Sejil has a range close to 2,000 km, Iran’s Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar was quoted as saying.

“This missile test is in the framework of Iran’s deterrent doctrine,” he told the official IRNA news agency. The new missile is expected to be more accurate than the existing Shahab-3. The test appears to have followed the firing of a missile by the U.S. forces. Iran’s semi official Fars News Agency said that the U.S. Third Fleet had fired a ballistic missile on November 3. Last week, Iran had warned U.S. forces in Iraq, not to fly their helicopters close to the Iranian border. Press TV reported on Tuesday that not far from the Iraqi border, Iran had tested another missile, named Samian.

Analysts point out that the show of strength by both sides has continued despite Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulating Barack Obama on winning the U.S. presidential polls.

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