State media in Iran has reported that Tehran has successfully executed at test launch of a ballistic missile with a range of roughly 1,240 miles, according to Reuters, within potential reach of Israeli and American bases.

The news comes just two days after Iran's continued movement on the nuclear development front prompted the head of the Israeli military to suggest that “action” against the rogue nation could be forthcoming.

Missile Launch Revealed

As the Daily Mail reports, it was on Thursday that Iranian state television aired a few seconds of video purporting to show the launch of a revamped Khoramshahr 4 ballistic missile, said to be capable of transporting a 3,300-pound warhead.

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the missile has been dubbed the “Kheibar,” which is a reference to a castle held by Jewish tribes, but which was ultimately overtaken by Muslims centuries ago.

Authorities in Iran suggest that the new, expanded reach of the missile now means that Tehran has the ability to strike Israeli and American bases in the wider region, should its leaders so choose.

Iran has stated that ballistic missiles represent a key deterrent and a potential retaliatory tool, not just against Israel and America, but also against other possible foes in the Middle East.

Unapologetic Roll-out

Iranian Defense Minister Mohammadreza Ashtiani said of the launch, “Our message to Iran's enemies is that we will defend the country and its achievements.”

He added, “Our message to our friends is that we want to help regional stability.”

Supplementing what is known about the missile, state media indicated that it is domestically built and possesses key features long desired by Tehran.

The news agency boasted that the missile is characterized by “quick preparation and launch time, which makes it a tactical weapon in addition to a strategic one.”

Israel Poised to Act

It was on Tuesday, prior to the missile launch, that Israeli Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi took a cautious, but determined posture regarding Iranian nuclear program advancement, as the Mail noted.

“Iran has advanced with uranium enrichment further than ever before...there are negative developments on the horizon that could bring about [military] action,” he said.

In what some saw as a reference to the United States, Halevi added, “We have capabilities, and others have capabilities.”

With regard to the missile launch itself, however, an Israeli military spokesperson later in the week indicated that no comments would be made on such matters.

Worrying Escalation

In the wake of Tehran's revelation about last week's missile launch, members of the international community have weighed in with their concerns, as the Mail further notes.

Anne-Claire Legendre, a spokesperson for the French foreign ministry, said that the move represents a violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution, given its indication that “uninterrupted escalation” of movement on the nuclear front appears to be underway.

Iran has persisted in its insistence that its nuclear development program is for peaceful purposes only, engaging in uranium enrichment for the purposes of domestic energy generation, but the missile launch is the latest move to seemingly belie that proposition.

Despite Tehran's poorly-hidden steps toward developing nuclear bomb capabilities, its leaders have not yet crossed the threshold the global community has long feared and attempted to thwart, with Middle East expert Jason Brodsky telling Fox News Digital, “I think Iran's leadership to date has calculated the costs of doing so would outweigh the benefits at this juncture – mainly an attack which targets its entire nuclear infrastructure,” but whether those conditions hold over the long term, only time will tell.