Iran unveiled new weaponry on Saturday including the locally made Arman anti-ballistic missile system and the Azarakhsh low-altitude air defense system, the official IRNA news agency reported. The announcement came amid heightened tensions in the region, with Iran-backed Houthi militants carrying out attacks on vessels linked to the US, UK and Israel in the Red Sea. Gaza has been under military assault by Israel since Hamas’s attacks on Israel’s south on Oct. 7. In response to the Houthi attacks, the US has targeted sites inside Yemen as well as facilities of Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria. US military bases have been attacked in Syria and Iraq. Israel has also struck Iranian targets in Syria.
Saturday’s unveiling ceremony of the two vehicle-mounted systems took place in the presence of Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani. “With the entry of new systems into the country’s defense network, the air defense capability of the Islamic Republic of Iran will increase significantly,” IRNA said. Iran has previously presented its first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, named Fattah, with a range of 1,400 km.