Iran announced the successful flight test of its new Hoveizeh long-range cruise missile on Saturday, February 2, coinciding with celebrations for the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution.

“The test of the Hoveizeh cruise missile was carried out successfully at a range of 1,200 km and accurately hit the set target,” Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said.

The Hoveizeh, part of the Soumar family of cruise missiles unveiled in 2015, has a range of over 1,350 km (840 miles) and is designed to be used against ground targets, Hatami said.

Cruise missiles with a range of over 1,000 km are classified as long range.

“The Hoveizeh missile needs a very short time for its preparedness and can fly at a low altitude,” Hatami said.

An undated video released by the defense ministry showed the Hoveizeh being test-fired from a mobile launcher.

Hoveizeh is manufactured by the Aerospace Industries Organization and will be used by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force.

Iran on Friday began ten days of celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution which deposed the monarch Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, replacing his government with an Islamic republic under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The Hoveizeh unveiling was part of an arms exhibition titled “40 years of defensive achievements” held in Tehran. It features new military equipment including 12 ballistic missiles, the Kaman 12 and Shahed 171 drones, the Ghassed 3 cruise missile, and the Shahin anti-radar system.

Iran has voluntarily limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 km (1,250 miles), sufficient to reach Israel and Western bases in the Middle East.

But the United States and its allies have accused Tehran of pursuing enhanced missile capabilities that also threaten Europe.

Iran has “no intention of increasing the range” of its missiles, the country’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, said on Tuesday.

With reporting from AFP