Iran claimed Saturday it has successfully test-fired an upgraded
version of a short-range ballistic missile with improved accuracy,
increasing the Islamic Republic’s capability to strike both land and
naval targets.
Defence Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said the solid-fueled Fateh-110
has a range of 300 kilometres. He claimed the weapon could strike with
pin-point precision, making it the most accurate weapon of its kind in
Iran’s arsenal.
“By reaching this generation of the Fateh-110, a new capability has
been added to our armed forces in striking sea and land targets,” state
TV quoted Vahidi as saying. “Few countries in the world possess the
technology to build such missiles.”
Iran’s military leaders have said they believe future wars will be
air- and sea-based and Tehran has sought to upgrade its air defence
systems and naval power in anticipation of such a possibility.
Iran has also been pushing to upgrade its missiles, which already can
target Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East. The Pentagon released a
report in June noting significant advances in Iranian missile
technology, acknowledging that the Islamic Republic has improved the
accuracy and firing capabilities of its missiles.
The Fateh-110, or Conqueror, is a single-stage solid-propellant,
surface-to-surface missile put into service in 2002. The earlier version
of the domestically-produced missile had a range of 200 kilometres. The
weapon was developed by Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization.
Iran also has a variety of longer-ranged missiles including a
Shahab-3 variant with a range of 2,000 kilometres that can reach Israel
and southern Europe. Many of its missiles could in theory carry a
nuclear warhead.
Iran considers both the United States and Israel as potential
adversaries. Neither country has ruled out a military strike against
Iran’s nuclear program, which they claim is aimed at developing nuclear
technology. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.
Israel is about 1,000 kilometres away from Iran’s western borders,
while the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, some 200
kilometres from Iranian shores in the Persian Gulf.
Iran’s military leaders have threatened that Israel “would disappear
from the Earth” if it attacks Iran. Military commanders have also warned
that 35 American military bases in the Middle East are within Iran’s
missile range and would be destroyed within seconds after any U.S.
attack on Iran.
Iran launched an arms development program during its 1980-88 war with
Iraq to compensate for a U.S. weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has
produced its own tanks, armoured personnel carriers, missiles, torpedoes
and a fighter plane.
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