Iran Unveils New Missiles, Improving Its Reach at Sea and to Israel
Iran unveiled two new missiles Thursday amid fresh tensions with the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East, demonstrating a development of an arsenal with sophistication and reach capable of threatening and deterring its foes across the region.
The display of new missiles adds to a buildup of regional animosity after the U.A.E. and Israel last week said they were forging diplomatic relations. The U.S.-backed deal aligns old enemies against a common rival in Iran.
The missile presentation, broadcast on Iranian state television, came on Iran’s annual National Defense Industry day. Iran’s army used the occasion to gloat over what it called a “last frantic attempt” by the U.S. to prevent it from buying weapons.
The United Nations Security Council last week rejected a U.S. proposal to extend a five-year ban on the sale of conventional weapons to the country. President Trump has said his administration now plans to move unilaterally to try to trigger sanctions on Iran.
As a result of last week’s Security Council vote, the embargo on arms sales to Iran will expire in October as stipulated in the 2015 international nuclear deal, which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018. The Trump administration has said a main reason for leaving the 2015 nuclear deal, which restricted Iran’s nuclear program in return for a lifting of sanctions, was that it didn’t curb Tehran’s missile program.
The two new missiles were named after Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, who were both killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in January.
Iran said the Qassem Soleimani ground-to-ground ballistic missile has an 870-mile range, far enough to target Israel. Unlike most other liquid-fueled missiles in Iran’s arsenal with the same range, the new missile is more compact and solid-fueled with precision guidance, making it faster and more flexible to deploy.
The size and capability of the missile illustrate significant advances in Iran’s domestic missile industry, said Fabian Hinz, research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif.
“This is quite sophisticated. It’s the kind of system that state-of-the-art militaries would want to use,” Mr. Hinz said.
The Abu Mahdi naval cruise missile has a range of 620 miles, Defense Minister Amir Hatami said on state television. If functional, the missile vastly increases Iran’s naval reach in the Persian Gulf waters, which the Islamic Republic shares with the Emirates and other countries. Its most advanced known naval cruise missile before Thursday had a range of less than 200 miles.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday said his country only developed its capabilities for defensive purposes.
“We don’t have an aggressive strategy. We don’t want to occupy anywhere. We don’t want to harm any nation,” Mr. Rouhani said in a televised ceremony.
Any advance Iran makes on missile technology adds to a combustible situation in the Middle East, where anxiety about Tehran’s military capabilities was a main factor in Israel and the U.A.E. announcing a historic deal to formalize relations and unite their fronts against Iran.
Days after the accord’s announcement, Iran seized Monday an Emirati ship in the Persian Gulf due to what it called illegal traffic in Iranian waters. Iranian border guards arrested the vessel’s crew, Iran’s state broadcaster said Thursday. It didn’t elaborate on the charges against the ship.
On the same day, Iran said Emirati coast guards opened fire on a group of Iranian fishing boats, killing two fishermen and detaining the boats. The fishing boats had illegally entered Emirati waters, and when they didn’t follow orders to stop, the coast guards applied “rules of engagement,” according to Emirati state media.
Photo: President Trump talked to reporters during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in the Oval Office Thursday. - PHOTO: ANNA MONEYMAKER/PRESS POOL
