Iran has announced that it has successfully test-fired a new-generation surface-to-surface missile, the Sejil, as well as a new domestically designed and manufactured missile, the Samen.
Iranian Defense Minister Brig.-Gen. Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, who attended the Sejil test-firing, said that the Sejil missile was designed and manufactured by the Iranian armed forces aerospace experts, and added that "the two-stage missile uses combined solid fuel and has a high launching speed."
He said that the Sejil was manufactured in line with "Iran's detente policy" and only for defensive purposes, in order to strengthen peace and stability in the region. He also said that it shows Iran's capability to defend its territory.
Meanwhile, the Iranian news agency Fars reported that the Samen missile was launched, during military maneuvers by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the border city of Marivan in the western province of Kurdistan, Iran. According to Fars, the launch was a further move to boost Iran's combat capabilities.
Fars cited Press TV as stating that no further details on the Samen had yet been disclosed.
During the IRGC maneuvers, IRGC heavy and semi-heavy artillery and rocket launchers were also tested.
Sources: IRNA, Iran, November 12, 2008; Fars, Iran, November 11, 2008
