Iran fired several missiles with a range of more than 1,000 miles during a military maneuver today, apparently to send a message to the United States and several of its allies in the Persian Gulf after they conducted naval exercises in the same area this week.

Iranian state television reported that “dozens” of missiles were fired, including the Shahab-3, which has a range of about 1,000 miles and is capable of carrying cluster warheads of 1,400 bomblets, and the shorter range Shahab-2. The Iranian news agency ISNA posted photographs of what it said were the missiles, shown billowing smoke as they were launched, in the so-called “Great Prophet” exercises involving air, naval and ground forces.

The news agency quoted a senior official as saying that the launchings were not linked to any developments in the Iranian nuclear program. But it said the launchings showed that Iran had reached an international level of achievement in its ballistic missile program.

“The first and main goal of this exercise is to demonstrate power and national determination to defend the country against any possible threat, and show Iran’s missile capability which has increased the country’s defense capability,” the ISNA report said.