In the face of increasing tensions with the West regarding its nuclear program, Iran proudly displayed its latest ballistic missile, the Khorramshahr-4, at an event in Tehran.
Named after an Iranian city that saw heavy fighting during the Iran-Iraq war, the missile is also known as Kheibar, after a Jewish fortress in what is now Saudi Arabia, conquered by Muslims in the seventh century. Iranian officials claimed the Khorramshahr-4 has a range of 1,240 miles and the ability to carry a warhead weighing over 3,000 pounds. It is unclear why the missile is designated as Khorramshahr-4 as only two other known variants are in the public domain. The missile is modelled on North Korea’s Musudan ballistic missile and poses potential danger to Israel. Regional rivalries were highlighted as Iranian officials placed a miniature version of Jerusalem’s golden Dome of the Rock on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound adjacent to the missile’s launcher.
Iranian authorities stated that the missile defence system could be armed and launched with a matter of minutes, which has alarmed Western powers who continue to debate diplomatic sanctions versus military intervention in the crisis. The whole Middle East region is unsettled with political tension, and there is the potential this could now escalate further. The Iranian development of a fully developed nuclear missile system may have far-reaching consequences with the potential to destabilise the entire area.