Iran has sounded alarm bells in Western offices by unveiling its first domestically-made hypersonic ballistic missile, capable of penetrating anti-missile defense systems, Tuesday morning, according to the official IRNA news agency. Iranian state media have released images of the missile, dubbed Fattah (Farsi for “conqueror”), at a ceremony attended by President Ebrahim Rahisi and commanders of the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The announcement of the missile, which will give the Islamic Republic a military advantage, comes amid tensions with the United States over the development of Tehran’s nuclear program, and the day after Iran announced its intention to reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia. , seven years after it was closed due to the diplomatic break between the two regional powers.
“The precision-guided Fattah hypersonic missile has a range of 1,400 kilometers and is capable of piercing all defense shields,” Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Guardians’ aerospace force, was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.
Iran explained that this hypersonic missile can fly fifteen times faster than the speed of sound and follow a complex trajectory, making it difficult to intercept. Last year, the Islamic Republic claimed it had built a hypersonic ballistic missile capable of maneuvering in and out of the atmosphere.
According to state television, the Fattah missile can hit “the enemy’s advanced anti-missile systems and represents a great generational leap in the field of missiles.” “It can bypass the most advanced US and Zionist regime anti-ballistic missile systems, including Israel’s Iron Dome,” Iranian state television said.
Despite opposition from the United States and Europe, the Islamic Republic has stated that it will continue to develop its defensive missile program. However, Western military analysts consulted by the Reuters agency affirm that Iran sometimes exaggerates its weapons capabilities.
Concerns about Iran’s ballistic missiles contributed to then-US President Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to abandon Tehran’s nuclear pact with six powers, which called for a gradual lifting of international sanctions on Iran in exchange for a guarantee that Tehran will not develop atomic weapons.
Trump has reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to resume previously banned nuclear work and reigniting fears in the United States, Europe and Israel that Iran may seek an atomic bomb. Iran has always denied any such ambition.