Iran unveiled a new domestically made missile with a range of 1,450 kilometers on Wednesday, state TV reported, a day after Tehran and Washington resumed indirect talks to salvage a 2015 nuclear deal. 

State TV displayed the new surface-to-surface "Kheibar Shekan" (Kheibar buster) missile, which refers to an ancient Jewish oasis called Kheibar in the Arabian Peninsula's Hijaz region that was overrun by Muslim warriors in the seventh century. 

"This long-range missile is domestically manufactured by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) ... It has high accuracy and is propelled by solid fuel and is capable of penetrating missile shields," Iranian state media reported. 

Tehran regards its missile program as an important deterrent against the United States, Israel and other adversaries. It has rejected Western demands to halt its ballistic missile work. 

"Iran will continue advancing its ballistic missile program," Iran's armed forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri told a ceremony at an IRGC base where the new missile was displayed.

Iran and the United States resumed indirect talks in Vienna on Tuesday to revive the 2015 deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

Under the JCPOA, Iran accepted some restrictions on the development of its nuclear program in return for removal of the UN and Western sanctions. However, then U.S. President Donald Trump's administration withdrew from the deal unilaterally in 2018, and reinstated old and new sanctions against Iran. Tehran retaliated by dropping some of its nuke commitments.  
  
Since April 2021, several rounds of negotiations have been held between Iran and the remaining parties to the deal, with the U.S. indirectly involved, aimed at removal of sanctions against Iran and the restoration of the deal. 

Wang Qun, permanent representative of China to the United Nations in Vienna, said on Tuesday that China supports Iran's principled position of continuing to seek resolution of the Iran nuclear issue through negotiations. 

Wang said that in general, the ongoing Vienna talks are "making positive progress" toward the final settlement of the Iran nuclear issue. 

(With input from Reuters, Xinhua)

(Cover: New Iranian "Kheibar Shekan" missiles are seen at an undisclosed location in Iran, February 9, 2022. /Reuters)