Iran 'warns US and Israel' with new Fattah hypersonic missile

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has unveiled an upgraded hypersonic missile in an apparent warning to the US and Israel.

The Fattah II hypersonic missile was displayed on Sunday at a Tehran university linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with other weaponry.

The hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) is said to offer more precision, and maneuverability, than conventional ballistic missiles, according to media reports.

There was no additional information on the upgrade, but Al Jazeera reported that the previous version could reach speeds of Mach 15 (5.1 km per second) and distances of 1,400km.

The IRGC previously said it hoped an upgraded version could have a range of 2,000km –making it capable of hitting Israel.

The appearance of the missile coincides with Israel's brutal assault on Gaza, which has killed 13,o00 Palestinians, the vast majority women and children.

Hamas, which launched a deadly assault on Israel on 7 October, has close ties with Iran. An Iranian-made "Gaza" drone also displayed at the exhibition, according to Al Jazeera.

Also unveiled was the latest version of the Shahed UAV, which has been used by Russia in Ukraine, and the 9-Dey missile and Mehran defence missile systems.

Khamenei used his appearance to slam Israel as a "symbol of racism" and said Western countries back Tel Aviv, as they also see no issue with racism.

He said Israel's targeting of hospitals in Gaza was due to its failure to defeat Hamas, and again called on Muslim-majority countries to block the flow of goods and energy supplies to Israel.

"The Islamic governments must sever their political relations with the Zionist regime at least for a limited time," Khamenei said.

Iran operates a range of proxy forces in the Middle East that have confronted or are currently confronting Israel, among them Hezbollah.

It also operates a huge and advanced missile arsenal, some of which is capable of targeting Israel. 

The US has meanwhile positioned aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and warships to the region, in a warning to Iran.