Only July 22, Iranian defense minister Hossein Dehghan announced the new production line for an air defense missile, dubbed the Sayyad 3. During an inauguration ceremony, the official said the missile can reach an altitude of 27 km, travel up to 120 km, and is designed to engage numerous threats “such as radar evasive fighter planes, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles, helicopters, as well as various types of modern aircraft of high maneuvering capabilities and speed.” An Iranian air defense chief also claimed the missile is a, “completely indigenous technology.”

This announcement follows new U.S. economic sanctions placed on Iran. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin cited Iran’s ballistic missile program as one of the primary motivations for the latest round of sanctions and said the United States will, “continue to target the IRGC and pressure Iran to cease its ballistic missile program…”