2024-04-13 00:19:13
Iran has developed an array of ballistic missiles and drones in a program that has long alarmed the West. The missiles constitute an important part of the arsenal at Tehran’s disposal, which threatens to retaliate once morest Israel for an attack on its embassy in Syria.
The US Director of National Intelligence’s Office said that Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the region.
Here are some details:
* The semi-official Iranian Students News Agency published a graph in the past few days of nine Iranian missiles that it said might reach Israel. Among these missiles are “Sejil,” which can travel more than 17,000 kilometers per hour and has a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, “Khaybar,” with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers, and “Haj Qassem,” which has a range of 1,400 kilometers and bears the name of the commander of the Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani. Who was killed in an American drone strike in Baghdad four years ago.
* Iran, a major drone producer, said in August that it had built an advanced, home-made drone called Mohajer-10 that has a range of 2,000 kilometers, is capable of flying for up to 24 hours and carrying up to 300 kilograms.
* Iran says its ballistic missiles, with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers, are an important force for deterrence and retaliation once morest the United States, Israel and other potential regional targets. Tehran denies seeking to possess nuclear weapons.
* Last June, the Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported that Iran unveiled what officials described as its first hypersonic ballistic missile. Hypersonic missiles can travel at speeds at least five times the speed of sound and on complex trajectories, making them difficult to intercept.
* Despite opposition from the United States and Europe, Tehran said it would continue to develop its defensive missile program.
* The Arms Control Association, a Washington, D.C.-based NGO, says Iran’s missile program is largely based on North Korean and Russian designs and has benefited from Chinese assistance.
* The Arms Control Association says that Iran’s short- and medium-range ballistic missiles include the Shahab-1, which has an estimated range of 300 km, the Zulfiqar (700 km), the Shahab-3 (800-1,000 km), and the under-development Emad-1 (with a range of 2,000 km). km) and Sejil, which is also being developed (1500-2500 km).
* Iran also has KH-55 air-launched cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads with a range of three thousand kilometers, and modern anti-ship missiles with a range of 300 kilometers and capable of carrying a warhead weighing one thousand kilograms.
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