An Iranian military truck carries parts of the S300 missile system during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the start of Iran's 1980-1988 war with Iraq, on September 21, 2016, in the capital Tehran. / AFP / CHAVOSH HOMAVANDI

TEHRAN: Iran showed off missiles, warplanes, tanks and marching troops yesterday in a display of military strength in the face of growing regional tensions. The Islamic republic used the 36th anniversary of the start of the Iran-Iraq war to parade arms including 16 ballistic missiles through Tehran. A new missile with multiple warheads, called Zolfaghar, was also on show with a threat directed at Iran’s arch-rival Israel written on the side of the truck transporting it. “If the leaders of the Zionist regime make one false move, the Islamic republic will destroy Tel Aviv and Haifa,” it said, referring to two Israeli cities.

According to the commander of the air wing of the elite Revolutionary Guards, General Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh, the Zolfaghar has a range of 750 km. S-300 missiles delivered by Moscow this year were also on show in the capital. Also on display was the Qadr H missile, which has a range of 2,000 km, according to state TV. Iran’s ballistic missile program has been criticized by the West, and the US Treasury imposed sanctions on two Iranian companies in March because of their alleged ties to it.

Other military parades were held elsewhere in the country. A large maritime display involving 500 fast patrol boats and warships, as well as submarines and helicopters, took place in the Arabian Gulf, according to Iranian media. For the first time, Russian-made Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jets flew over the area of Bandar Abbas, a major port on the Gulf coast.

“The recent decision of the American criminals to give military aid to the usurper Zionist regime (Israel), reinforces our determination to increase our defense capabilities,” said General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces. The United States and Israel in September signed a record $38 billion 10-year military aid deal, despite increased disagreement over the Middle East peace process. “The ultimate objective of the United States, the Zionist regime and those who support terrorist groups... is to destroy the infrastructure of Syria and Iraq in favor” of Israel, Bagheri said.

Tehran has advisers on the ground in Iraq and also in Syria to help the military in both countries battle armed groups fighting the national governments. Iran also has fraught relations with its Gulf Arab neighbors, particularly Saudi Arabia. The two countries support opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Bagheri declared that Iran wanted peace. But he said Iran’s lessons in the 1980-88 war against Iraq now served as a guide for “our brothers in faith” in Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Bahrain, countries where Iran has political, religious or military allies.

“We tell the Americans that it’s better that the capital and wealth of the American people should not be wasted on their inappropriate and detrimental presence in the…Gulf,” said Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Tasnim news site quoted him as saying: “If they want to extend their reach and engage in adventurism they should go to the Bay of Pigs” - a reference to the location of a botched US attempt to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro in 1961. – Agencies