Iran says it has built new long-range missile

Tehran: Iran has built a new missile able to hit targets 2,000 kilometres away, the Iranian defence minister said on Tuesday.

The new Ashoura missile matches the range of another missile in Iran's arsenal, the Shahab-3, which could reach Israel and had been previously viewed as Iran's longest range weapon.

Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, whose comments were carried by the Fars News Agency, did not say how the new missile differed from the Shahab-3.

"The construction of the Ashoura missile, with the range of 2,000 km, is among the accomplishments of the Defence Ministry," he said.