Iran Unveils New Missile Defense System Amid Rising Tensions With US

JERUSALEM, Israel - Iran unveiled a new domestically-built long-range surface-to-air air defense missile system on Thursday as tensions continue to escalate between Tehran and Washington.

President Hassan Rouhani attended the unveiling ceremony for the mobile Bavar-373 system.

"With this long-range air defense system, we can detect ... targets or planes at more than 300 km (190 miles), lock it at about 250 km, and destroy it at 200 km," Defense Minister Amir Hatami told state television.

Iran's state TV reported said the Bavar-373 can detect up to 100 targets at a time and confront them with six different weapons.

Iranian media described the system as a competitor to the Russian S-300 missile defense system.

Rouhani also sent a warning to Tehran's enemies.

"Now that our enemies do not accept logic, we cannot respond with logic," Rouhani said during a televised speech.

"When the enemy launches a missile against us, we cannot give a speech and say: 'Mr. Rocket, please do not hit our country and our innocent people. Rocket-launching sir, if you can please hit a button and self-destroy the missile in the air.'"

Iran shot down an American drone in the Persian Gulf in June with a missile defense system. The regime said the drone was flying over its territory, but the US said it was international airspace.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Iran's missile tests and the regime's seizing of oil tankers while speaking before the United Nations Security Council.

He also warned that the UN arms embargo on Iran is set to expire in October 2020.