With President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looking on, Iran launched a domestically built destroyer in the Caspian Sea Sunday, the Iranian media reported.

The event marked first time Iran has launched a major warship in the oil-rich region, according to The Associated Press.

The 1,420-ton warship, which is longer than a football field and can sail at 30 knots with a 20,000-horsepower engine, was put in the water near the northern port city of Bandar Anzali, about 150 miles northwest of Tehran, the Iranian media said.

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The ship, named Jamaran 2, is equipped with advanced artillery and torpedo systems, can carry surface to air missiles and has a helicopter landing pad.

It was described by state media as a "symbol of the Islamic Republic's capability and strength that conveys the message of peace and friendship to the Caspian Sea states," according to Press TV, an English-language media outlet based in Tehran.

Press TV said the ship will formally join the Iranian navy in six months, after the completion of final tests.

Iran previously launched a version of the Jamaran destroyer in the Persian Gulf in 2010, AP reported.

In the last two decades, Iran has been building a self-sufficient military, reportedly producing its own jet fighters, tanks, missiles and light submarines as well as torpedoes.

Both Israel and the United States have not ruled out military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. The West suspects Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to press President Obama about a potential strike on Iran during a meeting between the leaders scheduled for Wednesday in Israel.

Related: Israel to grill Obama over possible military strike on Iran 

The Associated Press contributed to this story

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may have endeared himself to much of Latin America with his performance at the funeral of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but minders of religious righteousness in his home country were unamused.

His sin — unfortunately for him captured in a photograph — transpired when he came cheek to cheek with a grieving Elena Frias, the mother of the late president, while clasping her hands. In strict Islamic societies, people are not supposed to touch others of the opposite gender unless they are related or married.

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The image sparked a storm of controversy in the Iranian press, according to the English-language Iran Pulse, and went viral on Twitter and Facebook as users joked about it or speculated about how the conservative Islamic clerics back in Tehran would respond.

Their answer was swift and certain.

"In relation to what is allowed (halal) and what is forbidden (haram) we know that no unrelated women can be touched unless she is drowning at sea or needs (medical) treatment," said Hojat al-Islam Hossein Ibrahimi, member of the Society of Militant Clergy of Tehran, according to the Iran Pulse report.

Ahmadinejad was already under scrutiny by the conservative clerics who call the shots in Iran, and apparently they did not like the eulogy he gave for Chavez at the memorial ceremony.

They said it was another sign that a "deviant current" was driving the president a greater distance from the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

During the eulogy, Ahmadinejad said that Chavez "will come again along with Jesus Christ and Al-Imam al-Mahdi to redeem mankind,” putting the populist Venezuelan president and ex-paratrooper in the ranks of holy figures.

Mohammed Dehghan, a member of the Iranian parliament, called for religious scholars to confront Ahmadinejad’s "un-Islamic" acts, Al-Arabiya reported.

Some Shiite religious figures admonished the Iranian president to become better educated about his religion. Others urged him not to make religious references for the rest of his campaign for re-election, while his supporters said the whole uproar was a part of a smear campaign.

A second controversial photograph surfaced that appeared to be of Ahmadinejad attending the funeral in Caracas last week, but it turned out to be a fake that amateurishly Photoshopped the Iranian president in a cheek-to-cheek moment with the former director-general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Egyptian Mohamed ElBaradei.

TEHRAN, Iran — The day after the death of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, two men chatted in a barbershop halfway around the world.

"Did you hear (President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad's friend died?" one asked as he sat in the basement of what was once Tehran's Hilton Hotel on Wednesday.

"Who?" exclaimed the second.

"Hugo Chavez."

"Ah, yes, I heard he died last week, they are just telling people now."

---

It is not uncommon to hear conspiracy theories in Iran, so it wasn’t exactly surprising that one would come up so early in this particular conversation. Also unsurprising is the conversation itself — here people from all walks of life and all ages constantly discuss politics, their own and others'.

The two men in the barbershop — which offers hot face towels, neck and shoulder massages and shaves went on to talk about Chavez's merits and flaws as if they were host and guest on a political chat show.

They came to the conclusion that Chavez was a bon viveur and that his people ultimately liked him. They made some comparisons between Iran and Venezuela, two oil-rich states that have been alienated by the West.

Too soon, the chat show came to an end.

As the discussion revealed, Chavez was a close friend of Iran — they shared a common antagonism toward the United States. Indeed, Chavez could not have found a better ally than Ahmadinejad, whose government declared a day of mourning after the death was announced.

Ahmadinejad also seemed to put Chavez in the ranks of holy figures, saying he would "return on resurrection day."

"I have no doubt Chavez will return to Earth together with Jesus and the perfect" Imam Mahdi, the most revered figure of Shiite's Muslims, and help "establish peace, justice and kindness" in the world, Ahmadinejad added.

Over the years, Ahmadinejad and Chavez showed what appeared to be genuine warmth for each other. They lavished praise on one another and chastised America. They called "Imperial America" a global threat and demanded a new world order.

Chavez supported Iran’s nuclear program, which Iran says is for civilian purposes, despite international concern. They also both courted controversy and enjoyed the support of their respective working classes.

Iran has sent it deepest condolences to Venezuela and will probably have a high ranking member of the government if not President Ahmadinejad attend the state funeral.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related:

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U.S. officials tell NBC News that Iran's claim it conducted missile tests in the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday is "pure fabrication" and that there is no evidence to back up Iran's claims.

"The mid-range system ... is capable of intercepting targets at a range of 50 km (30 miles) and can fly at an altitude of 75,000 feet," state-run Press TV's website said.

A Senior Revolutionary Guard commander said Tuesday that Iran test-fired four anti-ship missiles that hit a "big target" the size of a warship simultaneously, causing it to sink in "50-seconds" in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to U.S. officials, there was no missile firing in or around the strait or the Persian Gulf.

---

In the past Iranians have released photos and video of missile firings claiming they were part of current exercises. It was later proven, however, that the images were actually from earlier missile tests but doctored to alter the background.

In one photo that claimed to show six missiles being fired simultaneously, it was proven all missiles were actually the images of the same missile photo-shopped across the landscape.

Some news outlets reported Tuesday morning that the Iranian missile test is evidence of the threat posed to U.S. warships in the region, and in direct response to the international mine-sweeping exercises being conducted 250 miles from Iran in the North Arabian Sea. Some reports said the alleged missile tests were an obvious show of force from Iran on the eve of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's United Nations General Assembly address Wednesday.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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United Nations’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon denounced Iran in its own capital Thursday for calling for the destruction of Israel and denying the Holocaust.

Ban’s decision to attend the summit in Tehran of the 120-nation Non-Aligned Movement, or NAM, has been criticized by the United States and Israel, but he used the opportunity to slam the Iranian regime, albeit without mentioning it by name.

Iran hopes the high-profile event will prove that Western efforts to isolate it and punish it economically for its disputed nuclear program have failed. The West fears it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.

---

The remains of three wrecked cars -- in which three Iranian nuclear scientists were traveling when they were assassinated -- were on display outside the summit venue. A photo exhibition called “Iran, the Victim of Terrorism” and subtitled: “More than 17,000 Terror Victims! For What Crime?” was being held nearby, The Financial Times newspaper (operates behind a paywall) reported.

S. African telecom firm helped Iran evade US tech sanctions, documents show

But fears of Iranian aggression toward Israel have been stoked by hostile language from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He has repeatedly denied the Holocaust and this month called Israel a "cancerous tumor.”

In his speech, Ban took Iran to task.

“I strongly reject threats by any member state to destroy another or outrageous attempts to deny historical facts such as the Holocaust," he said, according to Reuters.

"Claiming that Israel does not have the right to exist or describing it in racist terms is not only wrong, but undermines the very principle we all have pledged to uphold," he added.

Iran: We can destroy US bases 'minutes after an attack'

Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-Israeli expert at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, said that Ban deserved credit for his blunt remarks in Tehran and said that Israel should thank him for speaking out so clearly.

"In the history of the Islamic Republic, nobody has challenged the supreme leader's (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's) position on Israel in front of him, and in such a manner,” he told Reuters. “This is likely to have long-term reverberations and consequences inside Iran's halls of power."

Not so fast: Ex-Israeli intelligence chief speaks out on Iran strikes

However, Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Ban would have conveyed a stronger message by boycotting the NAM summit.

"His going there harmed the message and really sabotaged the efforts, which are so critical today, to stop the illegal Iranian nuclear activity," Ayalon told Israel Radio.

America's 'bullying manner'
In his speech, Khamenei criticized the U.N. Security Council as a tool used by the United States "to impose its bullying manner on the world."

"They (Americans) talk of human rights when what they mean is Western interests. They talk of democracy when what they have is military intervention in other countries," he declared.

On Wednesday, Ban urged Khamenei to prove that Iran's nuclear work is peaceful.

"Our motto is nuclear energy for all and nuclear weapons for none," Khamenei told the conference Thursday, although his words will likely do little to allay Western suspicions.

Germany arrests 4 suspected of violating Iran embargo

A report from the U.N. nuclear watchdog this week is likely to voice concern about the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran, to which its inspectors have been denied access.

The International Atomic Energy Agency believes Iran has conducted nuclear-related explosives tests at Parchin. Western diplomats say satellite images suggest Iran has cleansed the site, which it says is a conventional military facility.

The IAEA's new quarterly report will say Iran has installed more than 300 new uranium enrichment centrifuges at its Fordow underground site since May, Vienna-based diplomats say.

Iran is using Fordow to enrich uranium to 20 percent fissile purity, taking it much nearer the 90 percent needed for bombs. Tehran says the material is for a medical research reactor.

"There is reason to be concerned by increased tempo of enrichment, the larger stockpile of enriched uranium and, most importantly, the additional centrifuges installed in the deeply buried facility at Fordow," said Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute of Strategic Studies think-tank. 

Reuters contributed to this report.

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UNITED NATIONS -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sharply criticized Iran's supreme leader and president, describing their latest verbal attacks on Israel as "offensive and inflammatory." 

Many thousands of Iranians shouted "Death to America, death to Israel" during state-organized protests on Friday and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told them there was no place for the Jewish state in a future Middle East. 

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"You want a new Middle East? We do too, but in the new Middle East ... there will be no trace of the American presence and the Zionists," Ahmadinejad told worshippers at Tehran University in an event broadcast live on state television. 

"Saving the existence of the Zionist regime (Israel) is a joint commitment by most arrogant Western governments," he added.

He called for Muslim unity to foil Western support for Israel, which he described as a "cancerous tumor" for its occupation of Palestinian land. 

"The Secretary-General is dismayed by the remarks threatening Israel's existence attributed over the last two days to the Supreme Leader and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the U.N. press office said. "The Secretary-General condemns these offensive and inflammatory statements." 

"(Ban) believes that all leaders in the region should use their voices at this time to lower, rather than to escalate, tensions," it said in a statement issued Friday. 

"In accordance with the United Nations Charter, all members must refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." 

Israel prepared for Iran attack
Earlier this week Iranian media reported that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel would one day be returned to the Palestinian nation and would cease to exist. 

The Iranian remarks came on the heels of a series of Israeli media reports suggesting that Israel could attack Iranian nuclear facilities ahead of U.S. presidential elections in November. 

Israel, the United States and their allies in Europe and elsewhere believe Iran is developing atomic weapons, a charge Tehran denies. 

Earlier this week, Israel's outgoing Minister of Homefront Affairs Matan Vilnai insisted Israel was prepared for an attack by Iran.

“There is no room for hysteria as the homefront is prepared as it never was [in the past],” he said, Yeshiva World News reported.

“Today all elements of the system are clear as to their responsibilities and there will be no repeat of events in which mayors claim they were unaware of their responsibilities," he added. "I say this with a measure of modesty, but I had a central role in this process, backed by the prime minister and defense minister, and today, the homefront is in good shape."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was ambushed during a public motorcade tour by a woman and an elderly man angry at growing poverty – an incident that was caught on camera.

The leader was touring the streets in the southern city of Bandar Abbas when his car was mobbed by Iranians complaining about a lack of food and wages, according to a report in The Times of London newspaper, which operates an online paywall.

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Footage of the ambush, which the paper said took place last week, was uploaded to YouTube Wednesday.

The video shows Ahmadinejad standing up through the sunroof of his motorcade waving to crowds when the elderly man approaches.

US companies lose as sanctions strangle Iran

The Times reported the man as saying “Ahmadinejad, I am hungry. They haven’t paid my money.”

A young woman is then seen climbing onto the car, waving her hands and shouting into his face.

The incident is rare in a country where dissent from the hardline leadership of Ahmadinejad and Islamic fundamentalists is not tolerated.

Sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and other Western countries have led to high inflation and household poverty.

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was summoned to parliament Wednesday for an unprecedented grilling by lawmakers who accused him of economic mismanagement and making "illegal" appointments.

Less than two weeks after a drubbing in parliamentary elections, Ahmadinejad became the first president in the Islamic Republic's history to be called before the legislature, which has the power to impeach him if unsatisfied with his answers.

---

Traditionalist factions who express complete loyalty to Iran's most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been trying to summon Ahmadinejad for months over what they say are repeated challenges to the supreme leader's authority.

Emboldened by their success over Ahmadinejad supporters at parliamentary elections this month, they finally had the chance to interrogate the president about the near-stagnant, high-inflation economy and concerns over his allegiance to Khamenei.

Flippant tone
Chairing the meeting, lawmaker Ali Motahari asked why Ahmadinejad had stayed at home for several days last April after Khamenei overturned the president's decision to sack the intelligence minister -- an absence seen by some as a protest against the supreme leader's decision.

Belying his weakened standing, Ahmadinejad responded in a confident and, at times, flippant tone that did little to calm the excitement of the hearing, broadcast live on state radio.

On his absence from work last April, he said: "This is one of those things -- Ahmadinejad staying home and resting. Some of my friends have repeatedly told me to rest. In this government, work has never been stopped for even a day."

He played down the historic significance of the summons, saying it was parliament's right and not out of the ordinary.

"I was ready to answer questions before the election," he said. "But I thought it might have an impact on election results and then I would be blamed for it. I am the easiest to blame."

BBC News reported that the president's last comments at the hearing resulted in uproar.

"It was not a very difficult quiz," he told lawmakers, the BBC said, citing the Associated Press. "To me, those who designed the questions were from among those who got a master's degree by just pushing a button. If you had consulted us, better questions could have been drawn up."

Ahmadinejad added that he should get top marks for his performance, saying "Be fair. Any grade of less than 20 [out of 20] will be rude."

'Illogical, illegal'
After an hour-long grilling -- that included questions on the botched financing of the Tehran metro and the veracity of government figures showing the creation of 1.6 million jobs in 2009 and 2010 -- many parliamentarians remained unimpressed.

"Ahmadinejad's answers to lawmakers' questions were illogical, illegal and an attempt to avoid answering them. With an insulting tone, Ahmadinejad made fun of lawmakers' questions and insulted parliament," Mohammad Taqi Rahbar was quoted as saying by parliament's news agency.

Having made several ministerial appointments that were unpopular with parliament -- including a brief stint when he named himself oil minister, in charge of Iran's biggest economic sector -- Ahmadinejad was questioned about how he picked people for key posts.

Outgoing reformist lawmaker Mostafa Kavakebian said that the president “did not give any logical answers and took everything as a joke."

Attacks on Ahmadinejad by rival hardliners in parliament increased after last year's spat over the intelligence minister with his critics saying any challenge to Khamenei threatens the foundations of the Islamic Republic.

The theocratic nation's first president, Abolhassan Banisadr, was impeached in 1981 and fled the country after being accused of threatening Iran's new religious foundations.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Updated at 8:21 a.m. ET: TEHRAN -- Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election which is expected to reinforce the power of the clerical establishment of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over hard-line political rivals led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The election is unlikely to have much impact on Iran's foreign policies - the country's disputed nuclear program and international relations are already strictly controlled by Khamenei.

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But it could allow the clergy to strengthen its hand in determining the political backdrop ahead of a presidential election due in 2013.

'Negative propaganda'
With Iran facing growing international isolation, Western sanctions over its nuclear program and a threat of attack by Israel, Iranian leaders have been calling for a high turnout to bolster their legitimacy.

NYT: Iran warns unmotivated voters of Western plots as election looms

"There is a lot of negative propaganda against our nation ... The arrogant powers are bullying us to maintain their prestige. A high turnout will be better for our nation ... and for preserving security," said Khamenei after casting his vote.

"Whenever there has been more enmity towards Iran, the importance of the elections has been greater."

The election will be the first since the country's disputed presidential election in 2009, when opposition and pro-democracy protests were quelled by security forces.

NBC News' Ali Arouzi reported that there has been no signs of "election fever" in Iran, with advertisements dominating billboards over campaign posters.

Obama seeks harmony with Israel over Iran attack plan

This time round, leading reformist groups have said they will stay away from voting, setting the stage for a straight contest between backers of Khamenei and Ahmadinejad.

A low turnout, however, could nonetheless highlight the extent to which disappointment still exists among Iranian voters over the outcome of the 2009 presidential election.

While voting stations in affluent northern Tehran were quiet, people lined up in central and downtown parts of the city to cast their votes.

"I am here to support my establishment against the enemies' plot by voting," said Mahboubeh Esmaili, 28, holding her baby outside the Hoseiniyeh Ershad polling center in central Tehran, where around 50 people were queuing up to vote.

"Votes in this election are a needle in the eyes of the enemy," another voter told NBC News.

PhotoBlog: Voters cast ballots across Iran

The two main groups that are competing for the 290-seat parliament are the United Front of Principlists, which includes Khamenei loyalists, and the Resistance Front that backs Ahmadinejad.

Cash handouts
Ahmadinejad, the son of a blacksmith, still enjoys the support of many in Iran's poorer communities, largely thanks to his humble image and regular cash handouts. But his popularity has been dented by the country's economic crisis.

Western sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to halt sensitive nuclear work have started to hurt energy and food imports. The West fears Iran is working on developing a nuclear bomb, but Tehran says the program is for electricity generation and other peaceful purposes.

The price of staple goods has spiraled because of the falling value of the Iranian currency and fresh European Union and U.S. sanctions on Iran's financial and oil sectors.

Critics have accused Ahmadinejad of making things worse for ordinary Iranians, saying his decision to replace food and fuel subsidies with direct monthly payments since 2010 has fuelled inflation, officially running at around 21 percent.

Political rift
Khamenei will be looking to use the vote to reestablish his hold on power following a political rift between the two leaders when Ahmadinejad tried to supersede Khamenei in Iran's complex political hierarchy.

Analysts have said Ahmadinejad and his allies have been trying to undermine the central role of the clergy in politics by emphasizing nationalist themes of Iranian history and culture in their speeches.

While Ahmadinejad himself cannot stand for a third term under Iran's constitution, some Iranian media reports said he backed Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie, his chief of staff, as a candidate to succeed him in the 2013 presidential vote.

Fears grow of Israel-Iran missile shootout

The Supreme Leader's campaign got a boost when powerful establishment groups - including influential clerics, the elite Revolutionary Guards and powerful bazaar merchants - formed an alliance to back his loyalists.

The Guardian Council, made up of six clerics and six jurists who vet candidates, has approved 3,467 individuals out of more than 5,382 who initially applied to run in the poll.

Some politicians said that the hard-line council barred many established Ahmadinejad supporters, forcing him to pick younger political unknowns.

Khamenei, who initially endorsed Ahmadinejad's 2009 re-election, publicly distanced himself from the president in April by reinstating the sacked intelligence minister.

'Deviant current'
In the past months, dozens of Ahmadinejad allies have been detained or dismissed from their posts for being linked to a "deviant current" that his rivals say aims to sideline clerics. Ahmadinejad's media adviser has been sentenced to one year in jail for insulting Khamenei.

Reformists did not send in a list of candidates, saying the basic needs of a "free and fair" vote had not been fulfilled.

Poll: Israeli voters don't want attack on Iran without US help

Major pro-reform political parties have been banned and leading reformists have either been jailed or banned from political activities since the 2009 election, which the opposition says was rigged.

Opposition leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, defeated in the 2009 vote, have been under house arrest for more than a year.

NBC News' Ali Arouzi, Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

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