Iran indicated its long-range capability by firing missiles at the US-UK base in Diego Garcia. Even though the attack was not successful, it is clear that Iran has moved far beyond the 2000 km border and is adopting a new strategy.
Iran-US War Latest Updates: The ongoing tension between America and Israel along with Iran has now reached outside the Middle East to the Indian Ocean region for the first time. Last Saturday, Iran’s IRGC Aerospace Force fired missiles targeting the joint military base of the US and Britain located in Diego Garcia. This base is located in the Indian Ocean, much south of India and about 4000 kilometers from the coast of Iran. Even though Iran’s missiles did not reach their targets accurately, the incident has sparked a new debate about Iran’s medium-to-long-range missile capability. The special thing is that these missiles would have passed through the area around India.
Has Iran moved beyond the 2000 km border?
Till now Iran has publicly stated that the maximum range of its missiles is 2000 kilometers. But this attack indicates that he has crossed this limit. After a 12-day conflict in June last year, Iranian sources had indicated that the self-imposed restriction on the missile range could be lifted. However, this ban was never officially confirmed. Israel has earlier also accused Iran of hiding its missile capability.
Expert opinion on Iran’s missile capability
According to America-based missile expert Ankit Panda, this incident is not very shocking for those who keep an eye on Iran’s space and ballistic missile programs. According to him, Iran already has the technical capability to develop long-range missiles. Iran is capable of producing a variety of booster and propellant systems. The range of a missile depends on several factors, such as the weight of the payload. The range of the missile can be easily increased by reducing the payload.
Missile can be made from Space Launch Vehicle (SLV)
Panda believes that the missile used in this attack could possibly be a modified Space Launch Vehicle (SLV). Israel Defense Forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir also said that a two-stage ballistic missile was used in the attack. Although complete details of the launch system have not been revealed, there is a possibility that it could be based on a three-stage space launch vehicle like Iran’s Ghaem-100 or Ghaem-105.
Limited military threat despite long distance
Even though Iran’s missile can cover long distances, experts do not consider it a large-scale military threat. According to Panda, it is difficult to cause significant military damage with missiles that have never been successfully tested before. The main purpose of the attack on Diego Garcia was to send a strategic message, rather than causing military damage, that the war could extend beyond the Middle East.
Did you get technical cooperation from North Korea?
Questions are also being raised about the role of North Korea in this entire matter. Panda called it only a possibility. He cited the example of North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in 2017, in which changes to the upper stage were observed. He believes that the design had a glimpse of Iran’s Safir SLV. This creates a possibility that there may have been technical cooperation between the two countries. Although it has not been proven yet, missile cooperation between Iran and North Korea has been discussed for a long time.