Iran last Friday test fired what it claims is the world's fastest underwater missile - reported to have a top speed of 360km/h (233mph), according to the BBC.

Special Republican guard troops fired the weapon - dubbed "Hoot" or Whale - and successfully destroyed a derelict ship in the Gulf as part of Iran's "Holy Prophet" war games. Iranian TV interrupted normal broadcasts to show footage of the test.

This latest bit of sabre-rattling, certain to irritate the US whose 5th Fleet operates in the area, comes hot on the heels of a test last week of a multi-warhead conventional missile.

Regarding the Hoot, the deputy head of the Republican Guard, Gen Ali Fadavi, told AP: "It has a very powerful warhead designed to hit big submarines. Even if enemy warship sensors identify the missile, no warship can escape from this missile because of its high speed." ®

Bootnote

Thanks to the anonymous Russian reader who wrote in to offer this link demonstrating a possible source of Iran's underwater missile tech.