Iran has launched a new missile for the first time – and the target is reportedly US warships.
In what can only be viewed as a catastrophic escalation of Trump’s war against the Gulf State, the New York Post has said the electro-optical missile was launched towards American warships stationed in the region.
The report describes how the Islamic Revolutionary Guard launched “waves of strikes” against US military sites in Jordan and US Naval shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian missile has been known not to explode before hitting the ground (Getty)
The Iranian rockets were intercepted before they reached their targets, US Central Command confirmed.
The Daily Telegraph stated the attack made use of the Islamist nation’s electrical-optical seekers – designed with sensors and cameras to hunt and destroy targets with extreme accuracy.
The new escalation is understood to be in response to the US strikes against five oil tankers located off shore to the highly valuable Kharg Island oil hug, in the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials released the following statement: “In response to the US’s aggressive actions against Iranian oil tankers, armed forces, in accordance with their inherent right of legitimate defence, attacked US military bases and facilities located in Jordan, which continues to support US military attacks against Iran, as well as several US vessels.”
Women walk past a ballistic missile launch vehicle in Tehran (Getty)
The regime has made bold claims about the sophistication of it’s new “Qassem Bassir” missile system – claiming it is invisible to GPS and nearly impossible to jam by traditional means.
With a range of 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) and a half-ton 500 kg warhead, the missiles are dangerous to warships operating in the region, but also to population centres.
Major cities that could be in range of the missiles include Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait City and the vital shipping routes of the Strait of Hormuz, but also the Suez Canal, which handles up to 15 percent of all maritime shipping.
Despite Iranian rhetoric, it has not yet been officially confirmed by US forces that the missiles fired in this most recent attack were indeed the Qassem Bassir design.
If in the fact the missiles were successfully intercepted according to US military, means the claims can be taken with some caution, say defence analysts.
Iran’s new secretary for the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei hailed the new missile as the “special anti-destroyer” rocket which would form a key part of Iran’s defence strategy against America.