Iran is set to unveil a “domestically produced” cruise missile capable of reaching Israel and being launched “from land, sea, and air,” according to Iranian media reports. Dubbed “Meshkat,” the existence of the long range Iranian missile was made public over the weekend by Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Mehdi Farahi, according to the Mehr News Agency.
With a range of 2,000 kilometers, or 1,242 miles, the missile could easily reach Israeli cities, including Jerusalem.
The report quotes Farahi as telling Iran’s Press TV that the weapon will serve as “the upper hand of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. … [The] Meshkat cruise missile, which God willing will be unveiled soon, has a range of more than 2,000 kilometers.”
Meanwhile, Iran held high-level talks with Chinese officials Sunday, and released a statement praising Chinese support for embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Mehr reported.
The meetings were held between Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun and Iranian deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, according to the report.
Zhang praised Iran’s efforts to bolster Syria’s Assad regime, which has murdered hundreds of its own citizens since pro-democracy protests erupted in the Arab country. Iran has publicly and privately sought to prop up Assad’s regime in direct opposition to the U.S. and Western positions on the conflict.
Iranian official Abdollahian was quoted as praising China’s “political support” for Assad and Syria. He also maintained that, “Syria is going strong on the path to fight terrorists,” according to the report.
