New Delhi: There are ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. The US Navy’s Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group recently reached the country’s Central Command area of responsibility, raising speculations that President Donald Trump may order a strike on Iran.
US-Iran tension in recent times
In recent times, there have been massive protests across Iran due to the deepening economic crisis and an increase in inflation. Thousands of protesters have been killed, and numerous have been arrested. Trump has openly supported the protesters and threatened the Iranian regime with an attack if required. This has led to a war of words between the two sides. Earlier, he had threatened a possible military strike against Tehran if the Iranian regime carried out mass executions of demonstrators.
Amid such a scenario, we will take a look at Iran’s arsenal of missiles. The country has one of the largest and most diverse missile arsenals in the Middle East, and in this article, we will take a look at the types of missiles that Tehran has in its arsenal.
Iran and its array of missiles
The Missile Threat Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies has given a detailed report on the wide variety of missiles that Iran possesses, including operational missiles, ballistic, cruise, and other tactical weapons.
Ballistic Missiles
Fateh missiles
Fateh-110 is a solid-fuel, road-mobile missile that Iran and its regional allies use widely. It has a relatively high accuracy, used to strike bases and infrastructure. Fateh-313 is an improved Fateh variant which has better range and guidance. It has enabled Iran to hit targets deeper in the Gulf region.
Zolfaghar is a longer-range evolution of the Fateh series and is used in real combat strikes. It can hit US facilities in Iraq and also places in the eastern Mediterranean. Qiam-1 is a liquid-fuel missile known for its fin-less design, making interception complicated.
Shahab missiles
It has Shahab-1, an older system primarily used for short-range battlefield use. Also, there is Shahab-2, an improved version capable of striking regional targets. Then there is Shahab-3, Iran’s first true medium-range ballistic missile that can hit Israel and US assets across the Middle East. Iran also has Sejjil, one of its most advanced missiles, which can hit US regional bases and key allies.
Cruise missiles, weapons for precision strike
This category has Soumar, a long-range land-attack cruise missile that could threaten targets far beyond Iran’s immediate neighbourhood. Also, there is Ya-Ali for precision strikes against fixed targets, enabling Iran to hit at a low-altitude, evading the radar. Ra’ad targets naval vessels, including US warships, in the Persian Gulf.