Iran said it successfully test-fired a new generation of long range surface-to-surface missiles that could easily strike Israel and some parts of Europe with greater precision than earlier models.
The Sajjil is a solid fuel high-speed missile with a range of about 2,000 kilometres, defence minister Mostafa Mohammed Najjar said on state television.
Solid-fuel missiles are more accurate than the liquid fuel missiles of similar range currently possessed by Iran. The country has had a solid-fuel missile with a shorter range — the Fateh, able to fly 200 kilometres - for several years.
The defence minister said the two-stage missile with two solid-fuel engines had "an extraordinary high capability" but gave no further details. He did not say whether it was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
With its range, the missile could easily strike Israel and go as far as south-eastern Europe.
The US military and intelligence agencies observed the missile test on a range south east of Tehran yesterday through "national assets", a reference to classified imagery satellites and other kinds of sensors.
A senior US military official said the missile flew for just nine seconds, covering 280 kilometres before veering off. The missile then exploded but it was unclear whether it was a malfunction or if it was programmed to self-destruct, the official said.
The US believes the launch tested the first stage of what would be a two-stage rocket. Iran tested the same rocket last year without apparent success, the official said.
Mr Najjar said the missile was a defensive weapon and not a response to threats against Iran. He did not name any country, but Israel has recently threatened to take military action against Iran to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.
Mr Najjar said the missile was part of a "defensive, deterrent strategy ... specifically with defensive objectives".
In a speech coinciding with the missile launch, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that his government would act against any threats.
"The Iranian nation defends its dignity. Should any power stand against the Iranian nation, the Iranian people will crush it under its foot and will strike it on the mouth," he said in a speech broadcast live on state television.
Israel's Foreign Ministry refused to comment about the missile test.
AP