Iran has developed a hypersonic ballistic missile, according to reports Thursday that cited the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace forces.
“This missile has a high speed and can maneuver in and out of the atmosphere,” Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. “It will target the enemy’s advanced anti-missile systems and is a big generational leap in the field of missiles,” the aerospace commander added, according to the Tasnim report cited by Reuters.
Hypersonic missiles travel upwards of five times the speed of sound, according to Voice of America. Their maneuverability and speed enable them to evade any country’s existing defense system, the outlet noted. The United States’ ability to track and destroy hypersonic missiles is questionable, CBS News noted. (RELATED: ‘Different Tracks’: US Strikes Iran Proxies While Nuclear Deal Remains Unsigned)
The Department of Defense said it is aware of Tehran’s claim, but remains skeptical of its accuracy, Fox News reported. “As always, we will refrain from disclosure of intelligence reporting and assessments on such sensitive topics,” Army Lt. Col. Rob Lodewick told the outlet. “We continue to closely monitor Iran’s development and proliferation of advanced missile and associated technology.”
People walk past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on January 11, 2022, after North Korea fired a “suspected ballistic missile” into the sea, South Korea’s military said, less than a week after Pyongyang reported testing a hypersonic missile. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)
Iran’s persistence in testing and developing ballistic missiles contributed to the Trump administration’s 2018 decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran Nuclear Deal. The Islamic Republic joins North Korea in its pursuit of hypersonic missile capabilities after North Korea claimed a successful launch last year, according to CBS News. Russia also claimed to have used a hypersonic missile in Ukraine, CBS noted.