Iran displayed a new cruise missile with a range of 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) on Saturday during celebrations marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country's state-run media reported.
Iran has expanded its missile program, particularly its ballistic missiles, in defiance of opposition from the United States and expressions of concern by European and Middle Eastern countries, including Israel. Tehran has said the program is purely defensive.
Later on Saturday, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander suggested that pressure by European countries for talks on curbing Iran's ballistic missiles development could prompt Tehran to expand it beyond current limits.
Speaking during the unveiling ceremony, Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said: "This cruise missile needs a very short time for its preparedness and can fly at a low altitude."
The surface-to-surface missile, named Hoveizeh, is from the Soumar family of cruise missiles, which Iran added to its arsenal in 2015, Hatami said.
Western experts say Iran often exaggerates its weapons capabilities, although there are concerns about its long-range ballistic missiles.
Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guard aerospace division, said Iran had overcome initial problems in producing jet engines for cruise missiles and could now manufacture a full range of the weapons.
The Iranian Defense Ministry's website carried an undated video purportedly showing the Hoveizeh being test-fired from a mobile launcher. It quoted Hatami as saying the missile had successfully hit targets at a distance of 1,200 km (750 miles).
In January, Iran tried to launch a satellite into space, an attempt it said had failed. The launch followed a U.S. warning against undertaking three planned rocket launches that Washington said would violate a United Nations Security Council resolution.
The resolution, which enshrined Iran's nuclear deal, called upon Tehran to refrain for up to eight years from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons.
Iran has said its missile tests are not in violation of the resolution and denies its missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Deputy head of the IRGC, Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami, reiterated Tehran's rejection of any talks on its missile program, in response to a demand raised by France and other European countries, Iran's semi-official news agency Fars reported.
France said last month it was ready to impose further sanctions on Iran if no progress was made in talks about the missiles.
Salami said Iran's decision to limit the range and the number of its ballistic missiles was based on its current strategy, which he said could change in the future.
"If today the Europeans or others try to plot and pursue Iran's missile disarmament, then we will be forced to resort to a strategic leap," Fars cited Salami as saying, in an apparent threat that Iran may seek to boost the range or the number of missiles at its disposal.
Last week, Iran dismissed the pressure from France for talks, but said it had no plans to increase the range of the weapons.
