Iran has announced that it has built a hypersonic ballistic missile, the Tasnim

DUBAI, Nov 10 (Reuters) – Iran has built a hypersonic ballistic missile, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace force as saying, likely raising concerns about Iran’s missile capabilities.

“This missile has a high speed and can maneuver in and out of the atmosphere. It will target the enemy’s advanced anti-missile systems and is a major generational leap in the field of missiles,” said Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Hypersonic missiles can fly at least five times the speed of sound and follow complex trajectories, making them difficult to intercept.

However, there are no reports of Iran testing such a missile, and while the Islamic Republic has developed a large arms industry in the face of international sanctions and embargoes, Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its weapons capabilities.

Concerns about Iran’s ballistic missiles, however, contributed to the U.S. decision in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump to withdraw from the nuclear deal Tehran signed with world powers in 2015.

Iran said this last week tested Ghaem 100its first three-stage space launch vehicle, which will be able to place 80 kg satellites into orbit 500 km (300 miles) above the Earth’s surface, according to state media.

The United States has called such actions “destabilizing” because it believes the space launch vehicles could be used to carry nuclear warheads.

Iran denies the desire to create nuclear weapons.

Reported by Dubai Newsroom; editing by John Stonestreet and Mark Heinrich

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