On December 29, the United States launched airstrikes on five sites in Iraq and Syria controlled by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed paramilitary group. According to Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman, the targets “included weapon storage facilities and command and control locations that KH uses to plan and execute attacks on OIR coalition forces.” The U.S. strikes...
In discussions of Iran’s regional missile proliferation, Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels tend to dominate the conversation. This focus is for good reason: Hezbollah today possesses an estimated 130,000 rockets and short-range missiles, and the Houthis have fired over 250 projectiles into Saudi Arabia since 2015. Yet Iran’s strategy of arming proxies with rockets...
On November 25, a U.S. Navy destroyer seized missile parts of likely Iranian origin from a boat in the Arabian Sea. In a December statement, the Pentagon said that U.S. forces seized a significant cache of “advanced missile components” bound for Yemen. According to officials familiar with the matter, the parts were intended for shipment...
On November 22, Iran’s military completed an air and missile defense exercise in the country’s central region, designated “Guardians of Velayat Sky-98.” According to Iranian state media, the drills tested Iran’s Khordad 15, Talash, and Mersad air and missile defense systems. Further imagery suggests that the drills also included Iran’s Russian-made S-300 air defense system....
On August 29, an Iranian rocket exploded on the launch at the Imam Khomeini Space Center. After satellite imagery indicated a launch failure, an Iranian official anonymously confirmed that an explosion had taken place. The failure represents the third of its kind for this year; Iran previously failed to launch rockets in January and February....
On August 27, Iran revealed a new cruise missile, named “Mobeen,” at Russia’s MAKS military exhibition. According to state media, the subsonic cruise missile has a range of 450 km and weighs 670 kg when armed with a 120 kg payload. According to the exhibit, the missile entered service in 2018. Related Links: Iran Displays...
Speaking on August 24, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami stated that Iran had successfully “tested a new missile.” While Salami declined to describe the name or type of missile tested, the statement came on the heels of earlier reports describing launch preparations in northern Iran. Related Links: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard boasts of...
On August 21, Iran officially inducted the Bavar-373 surface-to-air missile system into service. Speaking at the National Day of the Defense Industry ceremony, Iranian officials stated that the weapons system could track up to 60 targets and possessed a maximum engagement range of 250 km. A Bavar-373 battery is typically comprised of 6 launchers, an...
On August 10, Iran unveiled the Falaq, an indigenously-upgraded surveillance radar with a range of 400 km. According to state media, the system is a domestically overhauled variant of the Gamma, a Russian-made phased-array radar. Related Links: Iran Army unveils ‘Falagh’ surveillance radar system, Mehr News Iran unveils ‘improved’ radar air defense system, Reuters
On July 24, Iran test fired a Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), according to a U.S. military official. The launch took place at a southern coastal site in Iran, and traveled around 1,100 km before landing east of Tehran. Iran last test fired a ballistic missile in December 2018. Related Links: In Escalation, Iran Tests...
