Iran might have achieved a new military milestone in the weeks after the 12-day war with Israel. Local reports suggest Tehran test fired Khorramshahr-5, potentially the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missile.
As the name suggests, ICBMs can cross continents to hit targets, The range of ICBM's varies from 6,000 to 16,000 km.
The latest variant of Iran's Khorramshahr missile reportedly has a range of 12,000 kilometers. That means a Khorramshahr-5 launched from Iran can reach mainland United States.
The missile is also believed to fly at Mach 16, approximately 20,000 km/h, like a typical ICBM.
Notably, Iran already has missiles operational that can reach speeds of Mach 15, such as the Fattah missile series.
But, the existing missiles cover a lower range.
The Fattah series are short-range missile that can hit targets as far as 700–1,000 km. The medium-range missiles like the Shahab-3 and previous variants of Khorramshahr can reach 1,300–2,000 km.
But the speed and the range are not the biggest worries for Iran's adversaries. It's the warhead.
The Khorramshahr-5 is 12 meters long, weighs around 14–15 tonnes, and can reportedly carry a 2-tonne warhead. That's a firepower that can compete with US-made bunker busters.
But, ICBMs were traditionally designed to carry nuclear warheads. Currently, most of the nuclear nations—the US, Russia, China, France, India, the United Kingdom, Israel, and North Korea—have ICBMs. Pakistan is the only nuclear nation without an ICBM.
The US operates 405 ICBMs in three Air Force bases. Russia has 286 ICBMs capable of delivering 958 nuclear warheads. China has a variety of Dongfeng long-range ICBMs. Israel is believed to have Jericho III with a range of up to 11,500 km, and India also has a series of Agni ballistic missiles.
But, with the advance of missile technology, ICBMs serve several conventional military purposes. Modern ICBMs can carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles -- meaning, a single missile can carry multiple warheads capable of hitting different targets.
It's not clear whether Iran's Khorramshahr-5 can truly compete with the latest ICBMs. But, the range itself is a worry for Israel and its allies.
Notably, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had demanded Iran limit its missile range to 480 kilometers. During his visit to Washington earlier this month, Netanyahu pressed US President Donald Trump to insist on a missile range limit as part of the nuclear talks.
But, Israel's unprovoked attack on its territory and the subsequent US bombing of its nuclear enrichment facilities have made Iran more defiant.
The Islamic Republic, that initially said it did not need ICBMs to defend its sovereignty, has changed its position. Tehran has ramped up its weapons development programme to increase range of its missiles.
Recently, Iran also struck several defence purchase deals with Russia and China. The country reportedly test fired Russian S-400 air defence systems to counter aerial threats. There were also reports of a deal to buy Chinese J-10 fighter jets.
With the threat of a flare-up with Israel still looming large, Iran clearly wants to leave no stone unturned to ramp up both its defensive and offensive capabilities.
