Iran tested "top secret" missile, the third in a week

IRAN: Iran said it has successfully test-fired a "top secret" missile, the third within a week, state-run television reported.

The report called the missile an "ultra-horizon" weapon and said it could be fired from all military helicopters and jet fighters. A brief video clip showed the missile, fired from a helicopter, hitting a target on the surface of the water.

The tests come during war games being held by the elite Revolutionary Guards in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea since Friday at a time of increased tensions with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.

The television broadcast called the test a "turning point" in Iran's missile tests. It said the new missile does not require the OTHT (over the horizon targeting) system that other missiles must be equipped with to be able to make use of their maximum range.

The report said Iran is the first country to develop the technology for such a missile.

Wednesday's test follows that of two other missiles and two torpedoes since Friday.

Iran has lauded these technological advances but the United States said Monday - after the second torpedo test - that while Iran may have made "some strides" in its military, it likely is exaggerating its capabilities. Teheran, Thursday, AP