Iran unveils its first locally designed hypersonic missile

All beautiful brand new. Iranian authorities presented their first locally designed hypersonic ballistic missile to the world. Manufactured by the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, it was named Fattah, “victorious”, in the Arabic language. He was presented on a platform during a ceremony organized in the presence of President Ebrahim Raisi and military officials, including the head of the Guardians, General Hossein Salami, according to state television and the Irna agency.

“We should thank God for this great achievement”, because “it will make the country stronger”, declared Ebrahim Raïsi in his speech. This missile will strengthen Iran’s “deterrent power”, which “brings security and stable peace to the countries of the region”, he added.

Speed, range and maneuverability

According to Irna, the range of the Fattah missile is 1,400 km and its speed before reaching the target is between 13 to 15 times the speed of sound. Hypersonic missiles fly low in the atmosphere and are manoeuvrable, which makes their trajectory difficult to predict and their interception difficult. Tehran claims that this device can pass through the air defense systems of any country in the region.

It is “a unique missile in the world”, congratulated General Hadjizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Force of the army of the Revolutionary Guards, quoted by Irna. “There is no anti-missile weapon against Fattah because of its technology. The Fattah missile cannot be destroyed by any missile due to its maneuvering in different directions and at various altitudes,” he added.

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The development of the Fattah missile will strengthen Iran’s military arsenal and, consequently, the concerns of many countries, in the first place the United States and Israel, the latter fearing that its territory could be reached by Iranian weapons.

A special context for Iran

Iran had announced in November the manufacture of this missile, arousing the concern of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concerning the Iranian nuclear program. However, the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, had indicated that this announcement “should not have any influence” on the negotiations around the nuclear program of Iran. These discussions have been stalled since the summer of 2022.

The unveiling of the new missile comes as Iran seeks to normalize relations with Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia where it is due to reopen its embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday after seven years of discord between the two countries.

Press reports also report indirect contacts between Iran and the United States to revive the agreement known by the acronym JCPOA, limiting Iran’s atomic activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken reiterated on Monday that the Biden administration considers Iran the main threat to Israel and that it would never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

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