While Iran faces a deadline of late October to prove that its nuclear facilities are not a cover for building nuclear weapons, Iran's newest weapon was publicly paraded before dignitaries in Tehran Monday.
Iran showed off its military might Monday, publicly parading its newly deployed Shahab-3 ballistic missiles before a crowd of dignitaries in Tehran, including President Mohammad Khatami, military leaders and members of the media.
Six of the sand-colored, medium-range missiles, which experts say are capable of reaching Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf, were rolled out at the end of a parade marking the anniversary of Iran's war with Iraq that began in 1980.
Iran, using North Korean designs and Russian technology, announced in July it had completed testing the missile system, which has a range of about 1,300 kilometers.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is seeking to get Iran to agree to unannounced inspections of its nuclear facilities, which Washington has said may be a cover for building nuclear weapons. Iranian officials have vehemently denied the allegation and have said the Shahab-3 missile system is only intended as a deterrent to its enemies.