Iran
A handout picture provided by Iran's Defense Ministry on May 25, 2023, shows the testing of ballistic missile at an undisclosed location. Iran said Wednesday it has the technology to build a supersonic cruise missile. Photo: AFP/ Iran defense ministry
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Wednesday said it had acquired the technology needed to create a supersonic cruise missile, Iranian media reported, days after the US strengthened its deployment to the Middle East.
“The defense industry specialists of our country have achieved the technology of designing and manufacturing supersonic cruise missiles,” semi-official Tasnim news agency said. According to the report, the missile is “extremely difficult to intercept.”
Three thousand US sailors and Marines entered the Red Sea earlier this week aboard two warships as part of a pre-announced deployment by the Department of Defense. US officials said last week that Marines and troops aboard its commercial tankers to deter Iran from seizing its ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) on Saturday announced it was reinforcing its own navy with drones and 1,000km range missiles. Iran’s state-run IRNA reported that various types of “reconnaissance, intelligence, offensive and combat drones, support and command vehicles” were among the new additions to the IRGC Navy’s fleet.
Iran’s ballistic missile program has been a major point of concern for Western powers and Israel. Numerous US and European Union sanctions are in place but Tehran has continued to announce developments.
In June, Iran unveiled its first hypersonic ballistic missile with a range of up to 1,400 kilometers and the ability to penetrate all anti-missile systems and escape radar detection, according to Iranian state media.
Tehran has not shied away from using its arsenal of ballistic missiles and suicide drones against different actors in the region. The IRGC bombarded targeted bases of Kurdish dissident groups in the Kurdistan Region multiple times last year, killing and injuring dozens of people.
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