Iran conducts missile tests to show 'deterrent power'

Iran has said that its armed forces conducted new ballistic missile tests to demonstrate "deterrent power" and the country's "all-out readiness to confront threats" against its territorial integrity.

The announcement on Tuesday was carried by the official IRNA news agency, describing a military drill in which "ballistic missiles were fired from silos" in different parts of the country.

It was not immediately clear when the reported tests had occurred.

Washington imposed new sanctions over Iran's missile programme in January, almost immediately after separate sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme had been lifted.

Iran had pledged to accelerate its ballistic missile programme in response to the new sanctions to boost its defensive capabilities.

The latest tests, called "The Power of Velayat", a reference to the religious doctrine of the Islamic republic's leadership, were undertaken by the Revolutionary Guards and aerospace forces, IRNA reported.

Sepah News, the Guards' official media service, carried a statement confirming the missile tests, which come less than two weeks after elections in Iran delivered gains to politicians aligned with Hassan Rouhani, the country's centrist president.

The Revolutionary Guards report to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not Rouhani, and their influence in Iran dwarfs that of the army and other armed forces.

The latest sanctions from Washington target five individuals and companies linked to Iran’s missile programme based in the United Arab Emirates and China.

Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said in January that the new sanctions would have "no effect", telling the Fars news agency: "We will prove it in practice by unveiling new missile achievements."