Latest news with #Khorramshahr-4
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran Just Used Ballistic Missiles With Cluster Warheads To Strike Israel
Iran fired at least one ballistic missile with a warhead containing multiple submunitions as part of a particularly destructive barrage on Israel earlier today. Ballistic missiles loaded with cluster munitions present additional complications for defending forces, especially when it comes to intercept attempts in the terminal phase of flight. Readers can first get caught up on recent developments in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict in our reporting here. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command says the warhead on the missile in question split open at an altitude of approximately 23,000 feet (seven kilometers) and released an estimated 20 submunitions, Emanuel Fabian of The Times of Israel posted on X. The submunitions, each of which contained some 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms) of explosives, were scattered across an area approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) in diameter. Whether or not this is the first time Iran has employed a ballistic missile with a cluster munitions payload in strikes on Israel is unclear. The cluster bombs are estimated to have 2.5kg of explosives each. — Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 19, 2025 At the time of writing, the exact type of Iranian missile that carried the cluster munition warhead is unclear. Iranian media outlets linked to the country's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) did share a video showing the launch of a Khorramshahr-4 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) earlier this morning, prompting speculation about its use. The Khorramshahr-4 is also sometimes called the Kheibar (not to be confused with Iran's unrelated Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile), which is a reference to a seventh-century victory by Muslim forces over Jewish tribes. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had also made a callback to that battle in the context of the current conflict in a social media post on Tuesday. However, the Khorramshahr-4/Kheibar footage that is now circulating widely online is from a test in 2023, and there do not appear to be explicit claims from Iran about its use. As of yet, no other evidence has emerged of Iranian forces having employed these missiles, with or without cluster warheads, in its retaliatory strikes on Israel. This is old testing footage released back in May 2023. — Fabian Hinz (@fab_hinz) June 19, 2025 The potential combat debut of the Khorramshahr-4/Kheibar is something experts and observers have been keeping an eye out for, as it is assessed to be one of the most capable longer-range ballistic missiles in Iran's inventory. The original Khorramshahr first emerged publicly in 2017, and it is assessed to be derived, at least in part, from the North Korean Hwasong-10, also known as the BM-25 Musudan. It is a liquid-fuel medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) with a claimed range of around 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers). Iran has unveiled additional Khorramshahr variants since then, the most recent of which is the Khorramshahr-4/Kheibar, which made its public debut in 2023. At that time, Khorramshahr-4 was said to still have a maximum range of 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers), but the possibility has been raised that it could have a longer reach. This is based in part on the underlying Hwasong-10/BM-25 design being an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which the U.S. military has assessed in the past to have a maximum range in excess of 1,860 miles (3,000 kilometers). Khorramshahr variants could exchange some payload weight for extra range. Khorramshahr-4 is understood to have the heaviest payload of any of Iran's ballistic missiles, with it said to be able to carry a warhead weighing up to 3,300 pounds. Iran has also claimed in the past that Khorramshahr variants can carry multiple, smaller warheads. Video: #Iran successfully test-fires new ballistic missileDetails: — Press TV (@PressTV) September 23, 2017 In the past, Iran has also shown cluster munition warheads with designs that are in line, at least externally, with ones used on older ballistic missiles, especially variants and derivatives of its Shahab-3 liquid-fueled MRBM. The original Shahab-3 was based on North Korea's Nodong series of missiles, which were themselves developed from the Soviet Scud family. For the first time, a SUB-MUNITION from an Iranian BM was found in Israel. It is not yet clear on what type of missile it was installed. — Tal Inbar (@inbarspace) June 19, 2025 Khamenei is looking at a sub-munition for installation in missiles. Sub munitions were found today after an Iranian BM was hitting central Israel. — Tal Inbar (@inbarspace) June 19, 2025 'Iranian media has for years advertised these sorts of cluster warheads as being able to 'rain' down bomblets against a wide target when dispersed at a certain altitude,' Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank, told TWZ. Iran has explicitly said it has fired Emad and Ghadr MRBMs, both of which are evolutions of the Shahab-3 design, at Israel in the past week. There is also clear independent evidence of this, visible in post-strike wreckage, including from the strikes earlier today. Video of the 14th wave of the Iranian ballistic missiles launch toward Israel (Operation True Promise-3) today, June 19, 2025. — Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) June 19, 2025 Image on left is a liquid propellant rocket engine, almost certainly from a missile in the Shahab-3 family.A copy of the North Korean Nodong engine, it is closely related to the engine used in the Soviet Scud-B. — Michael Duitsman (@DuitsmanMS) June 19, 2025 Emad and Ghadr (sometimes also written Qadr) entered service in the mid-2010s and are both understood to be able to reach targets up to around 1,056 and 1,118 miles (1,700 to 1,800 kilometers) away. Iran has also developed an extended-range version of Ghadr that is said to have a maximum reach of 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers). In addition, Emad and Ghadr both feature maneuverable re-entry vehicles that detach from the main body of the missile in the terminal phase of flight, but they are generally assessed to be primarily focused on improving accuracy rather than evading enemy intercept attempts. Any kind of maneuvering re-entry vehicle does still present at least some degree of additional complexity for defending forces. Adding cluster munition warheads to the mix would increase the potential of Iranian ballistic missiles scoring hits on area targets, and increase the overall area a single missile could target at once. On a basic practical level, adding this capability to missiles like Emad and Ghadr makes sense given the relatively low accuracy they are understood to currently offer when fitted with unitary warheads. '[Sam Lair] and I estimated the 'circular error probable' (CEP) of the most accurate Shahab-3 variant, the Emad, demonstrated in Iran's March 2024 missile strike [on Israel]. We estimated the CEP at ~1.2 km [just under three-quarters of a mile],' Jeffery Lewis, head of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, wrote in a post today on X. 'That means whatever a Shahab-3 hits, Iran was most likely aiming at something else.' .@sam_lair and I estimated the "circular error probable" (CEP) of the most accurate Shahab-3 variant, the Emad, demonstrated in Iran's March 2024 missile strike. We estimated the CEP at ~1.2 km. That means whatever a Shahab-3 hits, Iran was most likely aiming at something else. — Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) June 19, 2025 'The warhead can likely be married with several [missile types], but to strike Israel they all have to be MRBMs,' FDD's Taleblu also told TWZ. 'In this, instance the missile body is less important than the warhead.' As noted, ballistic missiles loaded with cluster munitions present additional challenges for defenders, especially if they cannot be intercepted before their warheads split open at higher altitudes. A very high altitude opening would also mean a more indiscriminate strike, which could be used to try to inflict as much damage as possible over a very wide target area, like a city. Typical cluster munitions are designed to release their payload at a specific height to saturate a more defined zone. Layering ballistic missiles with cluster munition payloads in larger salvos with other types carrying unitary warheads might also help create a decoy-like effect to further overwhelm an opponent's defenses. With this in mind, while the specific circumstances are still unknown, it is worth noting that the interception rate during Iran's particularly destructive missile barrage on Israel this morning was notably lower than what had been seen in previous salvos. A variety of other factors beyond the inclusion of cluster munition warheads could have played a role, as well. Video from Tel Aviv — Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) June 19, 2025 As part of its retaliatory strikes on Israel so far, Iran also says it has been using other ballistic missiles, including Sejjil, Haj Qassem, Kheibar Shekan, and Fattah-1 types, that further add to the complexity of the overall threat picture. Sejjil is a two-stage MBRM that is among the heavier payload designs in Iranian inventory. The Haj Qassem, Kheibar Shekan, and Fattah-1 are all solid fuel MRBMs. Compared to liquid-fueled ballistic missiles, solid-fuel types are generally faster and easier to launch, as well as safer to handle, reducing the total available time an opponent has to spot and preemptively target them before launch. Authorities in Iran have also explicitly touted these three missiles, all of which were unveiled in the past five years, as offering high terminal maneuverability and/or high peak speeds specifically intended to reduce their vulnerability to missile defense interceptors. The emergence of the Fattah-1 in 2023 was already seen as particularly significant, despite Iran's dubious description of it as a 'hypersonic' weapon. IRGC announces that the ballistic missiles used tonight in 12th wave of the True-Promise-3 operation were from the type Sejjil. — Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) June 18, 2025 New online analysis: 'Israel's attack and the limits of Iran's missile strategy' — Fabian Hinz (@fab_hinz) June 18, 2025 'To put the significance of the Fattah in context, it is better to put aside Iran's labeling of the system as a 'hypersonic missile' as the term can obscure more than it illuminates. Many surface-to-surface missiles achieve speeds within the atmosphere that cross the hypersonic threshold, that is greater than Mach 5,' Fabian Hinz, a research fellow for Defense and Military Analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in 2023. 'It is not speed alone that distinguishes the two main types of weapons known as hypersonic weapons – hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) and hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs) – but also the ability to manoeuvre significantly during atmospheric flight, including at considerable cross-range.' These are points TWZ regularly highlights, and you can read more about the unique capabilities that highly maneuverable hypersonic weapons offer here. 'Fattah is neither of these two classes of weapon, but a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM),' but instead has a 'second stage [that] incorporates the warhead, aerodynamic controls and a small solid-propellant motor with a moveable nozzle for thrust vector control (TVC)' that 'resembles a maneuverable re-entry vehicle (MaRV) rather than a HGV.,' Hinz continued. 'Both MaRVs and HGVs are capable of atmospheric maneuvering at hypersonic speeds. A HGV's higher aerodynamic lift characteristics allow it to maneuver during mid-course flight, while a MaRV only does so for a short part of the flight in the terminal phase.' 'Iran attempted to overcome this limitation by mating a small TVC rocket motor to a MaRV, enabling exo-atmospheric maneuvering,' he added. 'The IRGC maintains that this arrangement will help the missile evade both endo- and exo-atmospheric interceptors. It also potentially offers improved accuracy over longer ranges.' Amid all of this, worrisome questions are already starting to emerge about the stocks of various types of anti-missile interceptors available to Israel, as well as U.S. forces in and around the country that have been helping to shoot down incoming Iranian threats since last week. As TWZ wrote in some of our previous coverage of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict: 'The situation is something of a war of attrition over great distances. The question is will missile interceptors run out before Iran's ability to launch its own missiles does? At this time it seems Iran is on the downside of that equation, but midcourse intercept capabilities are especially limited in quantity and degradation of that defensive layer would put more stress on the terminal defense layer, even if fewer missiles are fired.' At the same time, Israel looks to have had significant success just in the past week in degrading Iranian ballistic missile capabilities. On Monday, Israel claimed it had destroyed a third of Iran's long-range surface-to-surface missile launchers. Though Iran continues to fire ballistic missiles at Israel, and they continue to cause casualties and physical damage, the size and frequency of the salvos have been significantly smaller than what many expected to see in the event of the conflict that has now erupted. Approx. 25 fighter jets struck over 40 missile infrastructure components directed toward Israel this morning, including missile storage sites and military operatives of the Iranian Regime. A loaded and ready-to-launch "Emad" missile launcher was also struck overnight. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 18, 2025 What did the IAF accomplish in Iran last night? 20+ surface-to-surface missiles were dismantled minutes before they were to be launched toward Israel's home front. Approx. 100 military targets were struck in Isfahan, central Iran. Around 50 fighter jets and aircraft… — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025 Iran is also likely to be keeping at least some stockpiles of ballistic missiles, including more capable types, in reserve should the conflict further expand in scale and cope, especially if the U.S. military were to take a more direct offensive role. More capable missiles may be increasingly required for strikes on Israel as Iranian forces are compelled to move further east to reduce their vulnerability to IDF strikes. Iran's new use of ballistic missiles loaded with cluster munitions underscores that it still has capabilities that have not yet been fully brought to bear that could add new dimensions to the ongoing conflict. Howard Altman contributed to this story. Contact the author: joe@
India.com
7 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Iran's main ballistic missiles that evaded Israel's air defence include..., their capabilities...
New Delhi: Israeli forces carried out hundreds of attacks one after the other on Iran's nuclear site and military bases on Friday, June 13. After this, Iran also retaliated with ballistic missiles. These ballistic missiles of Iran are directly entering Israel. Israel's air defense system has failed to stop them completely. These missiles are targeting Israel's capital Tel Aviv as well as other Israeli cities. What kind of missiles does Iran have? Iran's ballistic missiles are an important part of its military power and strategic capabilities in the Middle East. In recent years, Iran has added many advanced missiles to its missile system, including long-range missiles, hypersonic missiles and precision-guided missiles. Let's take a look at Iranian missiles: Kheibar/Khorramshahr-4 Range: About 2,000 km Weight: 1500–1800 kg warhead Features: This missile is the fourth generation of Iran's Khorramshahr missile family, introduced in 2023. Fattah-1 Type: Hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile Speed: Mach 13–15 Range: About 1,400 km Features: This is Iran's first hypersonic missile, introduced in 2023. Its high speed and guidance system enable it to evade missile defense systems. Ghadr-110 Range: 1800–2000 km Features: This missile is an advanced version of the Shahab-3A, using liquid fuel first stage and solid fuel second stage. Jihad Range: 1000 km Speed: Mach 8.5 Features: This missile was introduced in 2024 and its structure and platform are similar to the Imad and Qiam missiles. Dezful Range: Over 1,000 km Speed: Mach 7 Features: This missile was introduced in 2019 and it is highly accurate. Fath-360 Range: 100–120 km Speed: Mach 3 Features: It is a mobile, high-speed short-range ballistic missile, introduced in 2022. It is used by both Iran and Russia. Iran missile attack on Israel Iran carried out a massive ballistic missile attack on Israel on 13 June 2025, called 'Operation True Promise 3'. About 150 ballistic missiles were used in this attack, which were fired targeting various military targets in Israel. Although most of the missiles were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome and US allied systems, some missiles still managed to reach their targets. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) headquarters (Kiryat) in Tel Aviv came under attack, causing significant damage. Nevatim Airbase: This airbase in southern Israel was hit by several missiles, causing large holes in the roofs of two hangars and creating several craters. However, no significant aircraft were destroyed in the attack. Tel Nof Airbase: This airbase in central Israel was also hit by missiles, causing some secondary explosions, possibly caused by ammunition or fuel. This airbase is known for storing Israel's nuclear weapons. Mossad Headquarters (Glilot, near Tel Aviv): Two missiles fell near the Mossad headquarters, but did not cause any significant damage. One missile fell about 500 meters away, causing no major damage.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran mulls preemptive strike on US base after Trump bomb threats
Iranian military commanders are considering a preemptive strike on a joint U.S.-U.K. base on the Chagos Island located in the Indian Ocean in an apparent attempt to deter President Donald Trump from launching a military attack on Iran, a report by the Telegraph first said. "Like any Iranian military threat, the art is to determine what is bluster and what is real," Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital when asked about the strategy behind the alleged threats against the U.S. base. "Deception is a propaganda tool used to bolster deterrence and prevent a conventionally weak regime from having to fight," he added. "By threatening everywhere, the regime hopes to have to fight nowhere – meaning its revolutionary foreign policy gets to remain uncontested. After Debilitating Strikes, Trump Tells Houthis: Stop Shooting At Us And 'We Will Stop Shooting At You' Fox News Digital has not been able to independently confirm the threat of attack on the Diego Garcia base, positioned some 2,400 miles south of Iran, but experts on Iranian security have been sounding the alarm that Tehran likely has, if not direct missile capabilities, options to position its arms that will enable it to hit U.S. strategic interests farther away. Iran has a "self-imposed" range of roughly 1,200 miles on its ballistic capabilities, though it is suspected that the IRGC has a ballistic strike capability of hitting up to 1,800 miles away using its Khorramshahr-2 medium-range ballistic missile, Ben Taleblu explained in a post on X. Read On The Fox News App Tehran also has the updated version of the missile known as Khorramshahr-4, also referred to as the Kheibar missile, which is suspected of being able to exceed Iran's other strike range options, though the extent of its capabilities has not been fully tested. But even if it is incapable of hitting a U.S. target some 2,400 miles from its most southern border, Iran has proven it is crafty when it comes to expanding its strike range – including through the use of merchant ships and oil tankers converted to warships to expand its long-range strike capabilities. Iran's Khamenei Warns Of 'Strong Blow' As Trump Threatens To Drop Bombs, Putin Silent On Us Ire "There's always the chance of using a foreign-procured container launched cruise missile from even an unconverted tanker or commercial vessel at sea," Ben Taleblu explained in his post, referring to its use of both Russian and Chinese procured cruise missiles following its war with Iraq in the 1980s. In addition, Iran could again turn to its close ties to terrorist networks to transfer missile capabilities to war-torn areas like Yemen, which could enable it to strike further south into the Indian Ocean by some 800 miles. "While all these options would make Iran's launch platforms, especially at sea, easy targets for a counterstrike, they mean that Tehran does have options to strike further afield than expected," Ben Taleblu said. Trump in recent days has increased his threats against Iran and warned there could be direct conflict if it doesn't stop arming the Houthi terrorist group, or halt its nuclear program. But it remains unclear at what level the U.S. would respond to a direct attack on its military, which could prove catastrophic for Tehran given its revealed defense capabilities when faced with strikes from Israel. Iran on Monday also filed a letter of complaint with the United Nations Security Council over Trump's "reckless and belligerent" threats and described them as "a flagrant violation of international law." According to a report by Reuters, Iran's U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said Tehran "strongly warns against any military adventurism and will respond swiftly and decisively to any act of aggression or attack by the United States or its proxy, the Israeli regime, against its sovereignty, territorial integrity, or national interests."Original article source: Iran mulls preemptive strike on US base after Trump bomb threats
Fox News
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Iran mulls preemptive strike on US base after Trump bomb threats
Iranian military commanders are considering a preemptive strike on a joint U.S.-U.K. base on the Chagos Island located in the Indian Ocean in an apparent attempt to deter President Donald Trump from launching a military attack on Iran, a report by the Telegraph first said. "Like any Iranian military threat, the art is to determine what is bluster and what is real," Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital when asked about the strategy behind the alleged threats against the U.S. base. "Deception is a propaganda tool used to bolster deterrence and prevent a conventionally weak regime from having to fight," he added. "By threatening everywhere, the regime hopes to have to fight nowhere – meaning its revolutionary foreign policy gets to remain uncontested. Fox News Digital has not been able to independently confirm the threat of attack on the Diego Garcia base, positioned some 2,400 miles south of Iran, but experts on Iranian security have been sounding the alarm that Tehran likely has, if not direct missile capabilities, options to position its arms that will enable it to hit U.S. strategic interests farther away. Iran has a "self-imposed" range of roughly 1,200 miles on its ballistic capabilities, though it is suspected that the IRGC has a ballistic strike capability of hitting up to 1,800 miles away using its Khorramshahr-2 medium-range ballistic missile, Ben Taleblu explained in a post on X. Tehran also has the updated version of the missile known as Khorramshahr-4, also referred to as the Kheibar missile, which is suspected of being able to exceed Iran's other strike range options, though the extent of its capabilities has not been fully tested. But even if it is incapable of hitting a U.S. target some 2,400 miles from its most southern border, Iran has proven it is crafty when it comes to expanding its strike range – including through the use of merchant ships and oil tankers converted to warships to expand its long-range strike capabilities. "There's always the chance of using a foreign-procured container launched cruise missile from even an unconverted tanker or commercial vessel at sea," Ben Taleblu explained in his post, referring to its use of both Russian and Chinese procured cruise missiles following its war with Iraq in the 1980s. In addition, Iran could again turn to its close ties to terrorist networks to transfer missile capabilities to war-torn areas like Yemen, which could enable it to strike further south into the Indian Ocean by some 800 miles. "While all these options would make Iran's launch platforms, especially at sea, easy targets for a counterstrike, they mean that Tehran does have options to strike further afield than expected," Ben Taleblu said. Trump in recent days has increased his threats against Iran and warned there could be direct conflict if it doesn't stop arming the Houthi terrorist group, or halt its nuclear program. But it remains unclear at what level the U.S. would respond to a direct attack on its military, which could prove catastrophic for Tehran given its revealed defense capabilities when faced with strikes from Israel. Iran on Monday also filed a letter of complaint with the United Nations Security Council over Trump's "reckless and belligerent" threats and described them as "a flagrant violation of international law." According to a report by Reuters, Iran's U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said Tehran "strongly warns against any military adventurism and will respond swiftly and decisively to any act of aggression or attack by the United States or its proxy, the Israeli regime, against its sovereignty, territorial integrity, or national interests."
