Iran fires long-range missile from submarine

Iran has test fired a long-range missile from a submarine in the Gulf as part of military exercises that began earlier this month…

Iran has test fired a long-range missile from a submarine in the Gulf as part of military exercises that began earlier this month, state television reported.

It said the missile was called Sagheb, which means Piercing.

"Minutes ago it was launched from a submarine in the Persian Gulf and it hit the target," state television reported without giving further details of the missile's range or other specifications.

Earlier in the wargames, launched by the Iranian army on August 19th, state television said tactical missiles were fired and it also said surface-to-sea missiles would be tested.

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Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the ideologically driven wing of the armed forces which has a separate command structure from the regular military, held wargames in the Gulf in April in which they tested new missiles, torpedoes and other equipment.

Analysts interpreted those wargames as a thinly veiled threat that Iran could disrupt vital oil shipping lanes if pushed by an escalation in the nuclear dispute.

Iran is embroiled in a nuclear standoff with the West. It has until August 31st to suspend uranium enrichment, a process with civilian and military uses, or face the threat of sanctions.