Iran's Defense Minister Inaugurates Production Line for 'Zolfaqar' Ballistic Missile

Hosseini Dehghan, Iran's Defense Minister, announced on Sunday, September 25, that three 'essential products' in the missile sector will be unveiled by the end of this year. Speaking in the open session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, he named the long-range Qadir missiles, the new generation of Sajil, and the Khorramshahr missile as the three achievements to be unveiled soon. He described the accuracy of these missiles as high and added that with their production, Iran's superiority in this field will be 'many times' greater. The Defense Minister also stated, 'In the future, we will develop our ground-to-ground ballistic missiles in such a way that they will be able to hit maritime targets at long distances.' Previously, Western countries criticized Iran's missile tests, stating that these tests show 'disregard' for the Security Council resolution. Resolution 2231 of the Security Council, which confirmed the JCPOA, requested Iran to 'avoid any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads for eight years after the first day of the implementation of the JCPOA,' including the use of technology related to these missiles. However, this resolution did not prohibit Iran's missile tests and did not consider punitive measures. Iran claims that its missile tests do not violate Resolution 2231 of the Security Council or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). On the same day, Hosseini Dehghan inaugurated the production line for the 'Zolfaqar' ballistic missile with a range of 700 kilometers. In a state television broadcast, he explained the features of this missile, stating, 'Zolfaqar is a ground-to-ground missile, launched at an angle, one-stage, and with composite solid fuel, capable of hitting and destroying its targets up to a distance of 700 kilometers.' Mr. Dehghan listed the missile's features, including a mobile and self-propelled launch platform, radar evasion, precision targeting, lightness, and tactical capabilities. The 'Zolfaqar' missile system was first unveiled last week during a military parade in Bandar Abbas, attended by Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Concurrently with the unveiling of this missile, two other missile systems named 'Khatam 5 and Khatam 7' were unveiled in Bandar Abbas, which, according to Iranian military officials, are air interception systems produced by domestic specialists. Earlier, Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, requested the Security Council to ask Iran to refrain from testing ballistic missiles, as he believed such tests have the potential to increase tensions in the region. Last week, Mohsen Rezaei, the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, stated in an interview with state television that there is a direct relationship between increasing security in the country and increasing the range of missiles, adding, 'The more the range of our missiles increases, the less likely war becomes.'