Iran test fires ballistic missiles as 'deterrent'

Iran announced its armed forces had conducted new ballistic missile tests to demonstrate "deterrent power" and the country's "all-out readiness to confront threats" against its territorial integrity, state media said on Tuesday.

The announcement 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.

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.

The latest tests, called "The Power of Velayat", a reference to the religious doctrine of the Islamic Republic's leadership.

The tests were conducted by the Revolutionary Guards and Aerospace Forces, the state-news agency 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 moderate president.

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