Iran Unveils New Short Range Missiles, Drones

A new generation of short-range marine missiles and aerial drones were unveiled by Iran on Sunday, as President Hassan Rouhani said its military doctrine was based on deterring and countering threats from unnamed foreign powers.

The IRNA news agency said the Ghadir missile, with a range of 100 kilometers (62 miles), is designed to engage marine targets. The report did not provide the range for Nasr-e Basir cruise missile, but said it could "operate in silence," without much details.

Two new drones were also unveiled, the high-altitude Karrar-4 and the Mohajer-4.

Mohajer-4 can be used to generate maps for both military and civilian purposes, IRNA said. Rouhani restated that Iran was not in quest of nuclear weapons but it would not ignore threats."We do not remain calm towards plots by the enemy," he said in a speech broadcast live by state TV.

Rouhani said Iran's military doctrine is based on "deterrence and effective defense." Tehran regularly announces military advances that cannot be independently verified.

But a Pentagon report released earlier this year noted that Iran's military displays had become "less strident" since Rouhani succeeded hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "Widespread publicity of major military exercises, previously the norm, has been minimal," the report said.

Iran launched a homegrown defense industry in 1992 that produces light and heavy weapons ranging from mortars to tanks and submarines. It has surface-to-surface missiles with a range of about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), enough to reach Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.

"We have not been, we are not and we will not pursue weapons of mass destruction," Rouhani said Sunday. "For religious and humanitarian reasons we pursue neither nuclear nor microbial nor chemical weapons."