Iran unveils ballistic missile 'capable of penetrating US defense systems'

"The Islamic Republic has never initiated a war in recent years and will not initiate any war in the future either, but if we are attacked or war is imposed on us, we will respond with strength," Defense Minister Aziz Nassirzadeh told the state TV when asked about US threats to attack Iran.

"If this war is initiated by the United States or Israel, the Islamic Republic will attack their interests, bases, and forces wherever they may be and whenever it deems necessary."

"We have no hostility toward neighboring countries—they are our brothers—but US bases are our targets," he said, referring to American bases in Arab countries neighboring Iran.

He also threatened to "employ weapons that have not been used until now" if a war is imposed on Iran.

The defense minister's remarks came after he unveiled Qassem Bassir, an upgraded ballistic missile that has a range of 1,200 km.

Nassirzadeh said the new missile can "easily overcome THAAD and Patriot missile defense systems thanks to its upgraded maneuverability.

He said the missile was upgraded after Israel intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles during the April and October 2024 attacks.

With the new upgrade, he said, Israel won't be able to intercept more than five missiles in 200.

Nassirzadeh said the latest upgraded missile has been added to all Iranian underground missile bases.

"Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran," the Israeli prime minister said in a post on X on Sunday.

"Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters," the post reads.

Israel is expected to retaliate against the Houthi missile launch that hit Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday, following a decision made at the Jewish state's security cabinet later in the day.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video Israel has acted against the Houthis in Yemen in the past and will act again in the future.

The final death toll from the April 26 explosion at Iran's Rajaei port has been revised to 57, the head of Hormozgan's judiciary announced.

Mojtaba Ghahremani said the previously reported figure of 70 fatalities was based on initial estimates.

However, he added, further investigations, including family inquiries and forensic tests, revealed that some body parts collected from different parts of the blast site and stored in separate bags actually belonged to the same individuals.

This led to the adjustment in the casualty count.

According to the judiciary official, the confirmed total includes 46 identified bodies and 11 individuals still missing.

Multiple videos circulating on social media appear to show explosions and fires Sunday in the Iranian cities of Mashhad and Qom.
Footage from Mashhad indicates a blast at what some reports describe as a factory site, though details remain unverified.
No official confirmation has been issued by Iranian authorities, and casualty figures are unclear. The cause of the apparent incidents is also not yet known. Iran International has not independently verified the videos.

Of those, 169 were for drug-related offences, 153 for murder, 12 for security-related charges, and nine for rape.

Among those executed in April on security-related charges, seven were accused of ties to dissident political or religious groups, and one was accused of espionage for Israel.

Only two of the April executions were officially announced by the Iranian authorities.

Iran accounted for 64% of all known global executions in 2024, with at least 972 people executed, according to Amnesty International.

On Saturday, over 300 global figures—including UN experts, Nobel laureates, former ambassadors, judges, and human rights leaders— issued an urgent appeal for United Nations intervention to stop what they called a “campaign of politically motivated executions” in Iran.