IRGC Deputy Commander: We Have a Ballistic Missile That the US and Russia Do Not

The deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims that the Islamic Republic possesses a ballistic missile that surpasses all missiles from the US and Russia in terms of accuracy. According to the IRNA news agency, Hossein Salami on Tuesday, February 5, during a ceremony related to the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, attempted to explain the achievements of the Islamic Republic, among which he stated is the construction of a missile that targets moving vessels with the highest degree of precision. He stated: "I have said that today we can launch a missile that can hit moving vessels with 100% accuracy, and not a cruise missile, but a ballistic missile that enters the ground at eight times the speed of sound... and I can confidently say that this technology exists neither in the US nor in Russia and is solely owned by Iran." Salami further compared the missile in question to Russia's 'Iskander' missile, which is one of the most advanced ballistic missiles in the world, but he claimed that the Iskander missile is for 'fixed targets' and is technologically inferior to Iran's ballistic missile. The report does not mention the name of the claimed missile, but military expert Hossein Aryan speculated in an interview with Radio Farda that he was referring to the Persian Gulf anti-surface ballistic missile, which has a range of 300 kilometers and is modeled after the Fateh 110 missile. Aryan believes that "although Iran has made progress in producing various missiles, it exaggerates its military capabilities." He pointed out that the Persian Gulf ballistic missile was claimed by IRGC commanders, especially Ali Fadavi, commander of the naval forces, to be for destroying American aircraft carriers, while its accuracy and effectiveness have yet to be proven. According to Aryan, the idea of using this missile to destroy an American aircraft carrier is based on a misjudgment of the military capabilities of the United States, as this aircraft carrier, or floating airbase, is protected by various ships ready to counter potential surface, subsurface, and missile threats. This military expert stated: "Overall, Hossein Salami and several other IRGC commanders, due to incorrect information processing, lack of necessary military knowledge, or political reasons, provide a populist and incorrect analysis of the capabilities of the IRGC and generally consider 'enemy' countries to be insignificant and miserable." The IRGC deputy commander had previously stated regarding the missile capabilities of the Islamic Republic that Iran could increase the range of its missiles to over 2,000 kilometers. He also mentioned on Tuesday that "Mapna Company, by manufacturing compressors and turbines, is among the top six companies in the world in manufacturing turbine engines and compressors, even producing aircraft engines that Lufthansa contracts with." However, Aryan deems this ranking invalid and part of political propaganda during the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. He stated: "Mapna Engineering Company operates in the fields of power plant construction and industrial infrastructure and also produces various turbines. Some industrial and commercial managers from Germany have visited this company's production sector, but the ranking of this company by Hossein Salami as one of the top six companies in the world is questionable." Aryan concluded: "Statements of this kind from Salami are not new. These statements are both part of political propaganda during the decade of Fajr and in response to the change in US strategy with continued presence in Syria and confrontation with the destabilizing activities of the Islamic Republic in the region."