Separately, Amirali Hajizadeh, the chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards aerospace unit, reiterated Iran’s oft-repeated vow to avenge the killing of a top Iranian commander by the United States, stating, “We are looking to murder (former US President Donald) Trump.”
A top Revolutionary Guards commander revealed on Friday that Iran has created a cruise missile with a range of 1,650 kilometers (1,025 miles), raising Western concerns following Russia’s deployment of Iranian drones in the Ukrainian war.
“Our cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km has been added to the missile arsenal of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Hajizadeh, told state TV.
The television station aired what it claimed was the first footage of the new Paveh cruise missile.
Hajizadeh claimed that Iran did not mean to harm “poor soldiers” when it conducted a ballistic missile attack on US-led forces in Iraq just days after Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in 2020.
“God willing, we are looking to kill Trump. (Former Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo … and military commanders who issued the order (to kill Soleimani) should be killed,” Hajizadeh said in the television interview.
Iranian leaders have often promised to avenge Soleimani
Iran has increased its missile program, particularly its ballistic missile program, in defiance of US resistance and European countries’ concerns. Tehran claims the program is solely defensive and deterrent in nature.
Iran has stated that it supplied Moscow with drones before the Ukraine conflict. Russia has targeted power plants and civilian infrastructure with drones.
The Military stated in November that it was skeptical of claims quoting Hajizadeh as suggesting Iran has produced a hypersonic ballistic missile.