DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran unveiled upgrades to six weapons on Tuesday, including a more accurate short-range missile and a more powerful naval engine, Iranian media reported, in what seemed to be its latest response to international pressure over its nuclear program.
The hardware was presented at a ceremony marking Defence Industry Day and attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi.
Israel has said it is considering air strikes on Iran's nuclear sites if the Islamic Republic does not resolve Western fears it is developing the means to produce atomic weapons, something the Islamic Republic denies.
Iran says it could hit Israel and U.S. bases in the region if it comes under attack.
It has also threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, the neck of the Gulf through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports pass. Such a move would probably invite a military response from the United States.
Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran's military advances are purely for defensive purposes and should not be taken as a threat, but said they would dissuade world powers from imposing their will on Iran.
"Defensive advances are meant to defend human integrity, and are not meant to be offensive moves toward others," Ahmadinejad said, according to Mehr news agency.
"I have no doubt that our defensive capabilities can stand up to bullying and put a halt to their plans."
The United States has also not ruled out military action against Iran but says the priority of world powers remains the use of diplomacy and sanctions to rein in its nuclear activity.
SCEPTICISM
Military experts have cast doubt on Iran's claims of weapons advances, especially its assertions about its missile program, saying Tehran often exaggerates its capabilities.
"The Fateh-110 has a crude guidance and control system that operates during the missile's ascent" rather than during final descent, said Michael Elleman, senior fellow for missile defence at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
"The Fateh-110 appears to lack the subsystems needed to effect terminal steering," he said in an email.
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