Dubai: Two days after Israel's military chief threatened "action" against Tehran over its nuclear programme, Iran conducted a successful test of a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 km on Thursday, according to Iranian state media.

Iran, which has one of the most extensive missile programmes in the Middle East, claims that its weapons can reach Israeli and American bases there.
Tehran has declared it will advance its "defensive" missile programme despite opposition from the US and other European nations.

"We want Iran's adversaries to know that we will stand up for the nation and its accomplishments. According to Iranian Defence Minister Mohammadreza Ashtiani, we want to contribute to regional stability and want to convey this to our friends.

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Iranian state television aired what it claimed to be footage of an upgraded Khoramshahr 4 ballistic missile, which has a range of 2,000 km and can carry a 1,500 kg warhead.

According to the official news agency IRNA, the missile's name, Kheibar, alludes to a Jewish castle that early Muslims conquered.
The Islamic Republic of Iran views Israel as an existential threat, which it does not. According to Iran, its ballistic missiles are a significant deterrent and retaliatory force against the US, Israel, and other potential regional rivals.

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The possibility of "action" against Iran was raised by the top Israeli general on Tuesday as efforts by six world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement have stalled since last September due to growing Western concerns.

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The nuclear agreement placed constraints on Iran's nuclear activities that increased the amount of time Tehran would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb, should it choose to do so. Washington abandoned the agreement in 2018. Iran disputes that it wants nuclear weapons.