IRGC Unveils Hypersonic Missile 'Fattah' After Days of Promotion

After several days of promotion and media buildup, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unveiled its hypersonic missile named 'Fattah' on Tuesday morning, June 6, in the presence of President Ebrahim Raisi. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, tweeted at midnight on June 6: 'Tuesday's dawn is not an ordinary day; the sun rises today with Fattah.' According to reports from IRGC-affiliated media, the 'Fattah' missile has been produced with a generational leap and has the capability of 'maneuvering inside and outside the atmosphere.' Based on these reports, its high speed is claimed to be 'over 25 Mach in the mid-phase, over 8 Mach in the glide phase, and over 5 Mach in the impact phase.' Hajizadeh claims that the missile has a range of 1,400 kilometers. The IRGC also claimed that the hypersonic missile 'Fattah' can neutralize all air defense systems, including 'THAAD, Arrow, Patriot, Aegis, GBI, Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Barak,' and has 'excellent maneuverability and very high speed' due to its new generation of solid fuel and 'explosive cone warhead.' On June 9, Hajizadeh stated to students at the University of Science and Technology: 'Tests of Iran's hypersonic ballistic missile have been conducted and will be unveiled soon.' He noted that this new missile can bypass all missile defense systems and added: 'This missile targets the enemy's anti-missile systems and represents a significant generational leap in missile technology.' Earlier in March, Hajizadeh emphasized that the Islamic Republic has achieved the technology to produce hypersonic missiles, stating: 'It doesn't matter if the West acknowledges this power of ours, as they will have to admit to this power on the day of the incident.' The Islamic Republic first claimed in November 2022, during the peak of nationwide protests in Iran, that it had developed a supersonic missile capable of penetrating all defense systems. At that time, the Pentagon's deputy spokesperson expressed skepticism about this claim, stating: 'I refrain from discussing our information and assessments on this matter, but the Pentagon will continue to closely monitor any developments or proliferation of advanced technology reported from Iran regarding missile systems.' The missile and drone activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been among the most serious concerns for Western countries regarding the regime and have led to several rounds of sanctions against the Islamic Republic by these countries. Recently, amid ongoing concerns over Iran's military programs, a bipartisan group of American lawmakers proposed a bill to sanction a wide range of the Islamic Republic's missile and drone activities. The United States has imposed multiple sanctions on those involved in and supporting the Islamic Republic's military programs, especially the ballistic missile program. Darya Safaei, an Iranian-born member of the Belgian parliament, stated on June 1 to the Persian section of Voice of America that sanctions against the IRGC bring no advantage to the world. According to Safaei, the IRGC is the 'mother of global terrorism,' and the significance of placing the IRGC on the list of terrorist groups by the European Union is not symbolic. The Iranian-born parliament member emphasized that economic sanctions against the IRGC would deal a significant blow to the organization, weaken it, and thus dry up the source of proxy wars.