Iran has launched a new weapons system that SHREDS missiles in a further show of military strength against Donald Trump.
Tehran’s navy installed its Kamand defensive weapons system on a warship as tensions mount with US military in the Gulf.
The weapon is dubbed the Iranian Phalanx, after a US-produced machine gun whose bullets shred incoming missiles.
According to the Tasnim news agency, the Iranian Navy Commander confirmed testing of the short-range defence Kamand system was concluded successfully, with more on the way.
Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said: “This system was mounted … on a warship and will be mounted on a second ship soon.”
The weapon system can destroy any target from a distance of two kilometres by firing between 4,000 and 7,000 rounds per minute, he claimed.
The radar-guided Gatling gun is mounted on a swivelling base and is used by navies around the world.
US military chiefs have recently seen increased Iranian naval activity in the key Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for Middle East oil shipments.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has threatened to block the strategic oil artery.
The escalating tension comes as Mr Trump imposes biting sanctions on Iran and pulled the US out of a key 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
Iran has reacted with fury to Mr Trump’s decision to exit the deal in May, with the President forming a new White House elite team to crank up the pressure on Iran.
Earlier this month, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard conducted war games aimed at “confronting possible threats”.
And last week, Iran unveiled its terrifying new Fateh-110 missile as it threatens a huge weapon programme to face off the US.
The new weapon has double the range of other missiles, with chiefs vowing to increase Iran’s missile power “every day”.
Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami described the missile as “100-percent domestically made. It is agile, stealth, tactical and precision-guided”.
Its range is predicted to be 186 to 310 miles (300-500 kilometres).
Previous versions had a range of 124 to 186 miles (200-300 kilometres), according to the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies
US measures are imposing hardship on Iranians, with the first set of sanctions targeting US dollar financial transactions, Iran’s automotive sector and the purchase of commercial planes and metals.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal signed in 2015, the US, European countries, Russia and China agreed to lift an economic blockade in return for Iran agreeing to checks on its nuclear facilities.
But the Iranian regime has now ramped up its domestic weapons industry.
Sanctions and arms embargoes prevent Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from importing military equipment.
It comes amid escalating tension between Tehran and Mr Trump, who has threatened Mr Rouhani with “severe consequences”.
Mr Rouhani had previously warned the US president not to “pull the tiger’s tail” and that a conflict with Iran would kickstart “the mother of all wars”.
Source » express