Iran unveils its first hypersonic missile ‘Fattah’: Here's what we know

Iran unveiled what is beingdescribed as its first-ever domestically-made hypersonic ballistic missile ‘Fattah’, on Tuesday (June 6), reported the state-run IRNA news agency. The missile is said to be capable of travelling at hypersonic speeds of up to 15 times the speed of sound and can reportedly penetrate the most advancedmissile defence systems.

‘Fattah’: What do we know about Iran’s new missile?

The hypersonic missile named by the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei'Fattah' in Farsi, which roughly translates to “the opener,”as per Al Jazeera, was unveiledon Tuesday, at a ceremony, the images of which were posted by the state media.

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It showed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the unveiling of the missile. "Today we feel that the deterrent power has been formed. This power is an anchor of lasting security and peace for the regional countries," said Raisiat the event, as per the Associated Press.

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“The precision-guided Fattah hypersonic missile has a range of 1,400 km and it is capable of penetrating all defence shields,” said the head of the IRGC’s aerospace force, Amirali Hajizadeh, as quoted by Reuters citing the Iranian state television. The missile can move at a speed of up to Mach 15 (5,145 metres or 16,880 feet per second), reported Al Jazeera.

“It can bypass the most advanced anti-ballistic missile systems of the United States and the Zionist regime, including Israel's Iron Dome,” reported Reuters, citing Iran’s state TV, adding that the missile is a “big generational leap in the field of missiles”.

This missile also comes months after the IRGC aerospace chief first made the announcement back in November at an event marking the death anniversary of Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, known as the father of Iranian missile technology.

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“The Fattah cannot be destroyed by any other missile due to how it moves in different directions and at different altitudes,” said Hajizadeh, on Tuesday, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

Iran’s supposed nuclear ambitions raise concerns

The announcement last year prompted International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi to express concern, as hypersonic missiles, like ballistic missiles,can be equipped with nuclear warheads.

However, Grossi said that the new missile would not have “any influence” on negotiations with Iran over its nuclear activities. The United States had unilaterally withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and imposed renewed sanctions. Since then, Tehran has not been obligated to follow the strict limits it agreed to onits nuclear activities.

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Meanwhile, countries in the West and Israel have raised concerns over Iran’s missile programme, which they say can be used to carry nuclear warheads. However,Tehran has said that it is not pursuing any such plans.

Israel, which the Islamic Republic refuses to recognise, had also recently suggested the possibility of military action against Iran as efforts by six world powers to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal have stalled.

Iran’s ‘Khaibar’ ballistic missile

Late last month, Iran claimed to havesuccessfully test-launched its 4th generation Khorramshahr, “Khaibar.” The missile in question was the surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres and was able to carry a 1,500 kg warhead.

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Iran has one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East and has produced missiles capable ofhitting its rivals Israel and the US bases, as per media reports.The Islamic Republic has maintained that it will further develop its “defensive” missile programme.

(With inputs from agencies)

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