Iran says its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent to the United States.
Iran has developed an array of ballistic missiles and drones, a program that has long worried the West. The missiles are an important part of the arsenal at Tehran’s disposal as it threatens to retaliate against Israel for attacking its Syrian embassy.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence says Iran has the largest number of ballistic missiles in the region.
Here are some details:
* Iran’s semi-official news outlet ISNA this week published a chart showing Iran’s alleged nine missiles that could reach Israel. These include the Sejil, which can fly at more than 17,000 kilometers (10,500 miles) per hour and has a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles), the Kheibar, which has a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), and the Haj Qasem, which ISNA says has a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles). 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) named after Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad four years ago.
* Iran, a major drone producer, said in August that it had built an advanced homemade drone, called the Mohajer-10, with an operating range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), the ability to fly for up to 24 hours, and a payload Up to 300 person kilograms (660 pounds).
* Iran says its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the United States, Israel and other potential regional targets. It denies seeking nuclear weapons.
* In June last year, Iran demonstrated what officials said was its first domestically produced hypersonic ballistic missile, Iran’s official news agency reported. Hypersonic missiles fly at least five times faster than the speed of sound and fly on complex trajectories, making them difficult to intercept.
* The Islamic Republic says it will further develop its defense missile program despite U.S. and European objections.
* The Arms Control Association, a Washington-based NGO, said Iran’s missile program is largely based on North Korean and Russian designs and benefits from Chinese aid.
*The Arms Control Association said Iran’s short- and medium-range ballistic missiles include Shahab-1, with an estimated range of 300 kilometers (190 miles); Zolfaghar, with a range of 700 kilometers (435 miles); and Shahab-3, with a range of 800-1,000 kilometers ( 500 to 620 miles); Emad-1, a missile under development with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles); and Sejil, a missile under development with a range of 1,500-2,500 kilometers (930 to 1,550 miles).
* Iran also possesses cruise missiles such as the Kh-55, an air-launched nuclear-capable weapon with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles), and the advanced anti-ship missile Khalid Farzh, which has a range of about 300 kilometers (186 miles). miles) and capable of carrying a 1,000 kilogram (1.1 ton) warhead.
area attack
* Iran’s Revolutionary Guards used the missiles in January when they said they attacked Israeli spy headquarters in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and said they fired on Islamic State militants in Syria. Iran also announced it would launch missiles at two bases belonging to the Baluchistan armed group in neighboring Pakistan.
* Saudi Arabia and the United States say they believe Iran was behind drone and missile attacks in 2019 that targeted Saudi Arabia’s precious oil facilities. Tehran denies the accusation.
* In 2020, Iran launched missile attacks on U.S.-led forces in Iraq, including Al-Assad Air Base, in retaliation for a U.S. drone strike on Iranian commander Soleimani, whose killing sparked concerns about more concerns about widespread Middle East conflict.
Support the Houthis in Yemen
* The United States accuses Iran of supplying arms to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have been firing on Red Sea shipping and the Israeli mainland during the war in Gaza, a campaign they say is aimed at supporting the Palestinians. Tehran denies providing weapons to the Houthis.
* In 2022, the Houthis said they launched multiple ballistic missiles and drones towards the United Arab Emirates. These included a missile attack on a U.S. military base in the United Arab Emirates that was foiled by a U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missile.
Support Hezbollah
* The leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said the group has the ability to convert thousands of rockets into precision missiles and produce drones inside Lebanon.
* Last year, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group was able to convert standard rockets into precision missiles with the cooperation of “experts from the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Syria
* Iran has transferred indigenous precision-guided missiles to Syria to support President Bashar Assad in his fight against rebels, according to Israeli and Western intelligence officials.
* The company is also moving some of its production capacity to underground bases in Syria, where Assad’s forces and other pro-Tehran forces have learned to build their own missiles, the sources said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
