The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, New Delhi

India test-fired a medium-range, nuclear-capable missile Wednesday from a land-based launcher in eastern India, a defense ministry official said.

The weapon tested was a K-15 missile, an undersea submarine-launched ballistic missile with a range of up to 435 miles, said the officer on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

Iran has test-fired a new generation of ground-to-ground missiles, state television reported on Wednesday. "Iran successfully test-fires new generation of ground to ground missiles," state television said in a scrolling headline. Another Iranian channel said the missile was a type that used combined solid fuel but gave no further detail.

It was fired from a test range in Chandipur in eastern Orissa state, nearly 700 miles southeast of New Delhi.

India and longtime rival Pakistan routinely test-fire missiles. They usually notify each other ahead of missile launches in keeping with an agreement between the two nations. India test-fired the K-15 missile from a pontoon immersed in the sea earlier this year. India's current crop of missiles are mostly intended for confronting neighboring archrival Pakistan.

The Agni 3, in contrast, is India's longest-range missile, designed to reach 1,900 miles - putting China's major cities well into range, as well as targets deep in the Middle East.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947. They have been holding peace talks since 1994 aimed at resolving their differences, including their dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir.