Iran has developed a missile capable of hitting targets at a distance of 1,025 miles (1,650 kilometers), the commander of the Aerospace Division of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Amir-Ali Hajizadeh has detailed.
Hajizadeh said that by using the missile, Iran is “now capable of targeting American aircraft carriers at a 2,000-kilometer (1242-miles) distance.” The Iranian officials further claimed the missile could have been developed with a longer range but Iran capped it “out of respect for the Europeans.”
This is not the first time Iran has said it developed a hypersonic missile. In November 2022, Iran revealed it created its first national hypersonic missile ballistic missile, although the US State Department casted doubt on those claims at the time.
Iran says its missile program is necessary as a deterrent, something Hajizadeh echoed during his announcement.
“If we fail to be strong, the enemy will bring the war inside Iran,” he urged after referencing the United States. “We should be very careful in order to be able to meet the security needs of our dear nation and country.”
The United States, he said, benefits from a destabilized Middle East and said it was the root cause of conflicts around the globe, specifically mentioning the situations in Ukraine and Taiwan.
Thanks to the missile program, according to Hajizadeh, Iran is now capable of striking US regional bases “whenever the need arises.”
The true capabilities of the missile won’t be known until a video of a live test is released, but Iran claims its new missile is capable of reaching Mach 12-13 (12 to 13 times the speed of sound) and can avoid missile defense systems thanks in part to a built-in engine that increases the missile’s maneuverability when it approaches its target.
By comparison, the newest American prototype hypersonic missile, the AGM-183A, has a claimed top speed of Mach 20 but has never reached even Mach 6 in testing. It has a range of roughly 994 miles (1600 kilometers).
“I express confidently that the enemies will not be capable of developing a similar missile over many upcoming decades,” Hajizadeh said, who also added that the missile was now in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ arsenal.
