Iran Announces Launch of Mass Production Line for Long-Range Missile 'Sayyad 3'

Less than a week after the increase of U.S. sanctions against Iran due to missile activities, Iran's Ministry of Defense announced the launch of a mass production line and delivery of a new long-range air defense missile named 'Sayyad 3'. According to IRNA, the Islamic Republic News Agency, Hossein Dehghan, the Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Support, stated on Saturday, July 31, at the inauguration ceremony of this production line, that the operational range of the new missile system is about 120 kilometers and its flight altitude is 27 kilometers, designed to 'counter aerial threats' in medium and long ranges. The Iranian Defense Minister also emphasized that the Sayyad 3 missile can engage various threats, including stealth fighter jets, drones, cruise missiles, helicopters, and various modern maneuverable aircraft with high speed and altitude. He noted, 'This missile has a combined guidance system and is equipped with advanced active, semi-active seekers, as well as infrared.' Hossein Dehghan added, 'The Sayyad 3 missile system also has advanced capabilities to counter various electronic warfare.' The inauguration of the mass production line for the Sayyad 3 missile system coincides with the announcement by the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that the number of missiles known as 'Zolfaqar' and 'Qiam' will be increased. According to Tasnim News Agency, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC Commander, stated that the missiles recently fired towards Syrian territory are 'under quantitative development.' About a month ago, the IRGC announced that in retaliation for an attack by assailants on the Parliament building and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini, six ballistic missiles were fired at Deir ez-Zor in Syria. The IRGC reported 'precise hits' of these missiles on ISIS positions in Syria, but some sources indicated that only two missiles hit their targets, and two others landed in Iraqi territory. These new missile activities occur less than a week after the U.S. Treasury Department placed 18 individuals and other entities on its sanctions list for supporting the ballistic missile activities of the Islamic Republic. Tehran is accused of repeatedly conducting ballistic missile tests that can be used to carry nuclear warheads, despite UN Security Council Resolution 2231. This resolution, issued after the Vienna nuclear agreement to endorse it, calls on Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran claims that its missile tests do not contradict the nuclear agreement, asserting that 'the tested missiles were not designed to carry nuclear warheads.' The verbal tensions between IRGC officials and the United States, especially regarding missile activities, have escalated in recent weeks. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC Commander, whose forces have faced severe criticism from the U.S. government and Congress in recent months, recently stated that if the IRGC is sanctioned by Washington, the U.S. must withdraw its regional bases up to a thousand kilometers around Iran.