Iran unveils its latest ballistic missile as Netanyahu warns Houthis’ ‘patron’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (C) attends the parade of Iranian land, naval, air and special forces soldiers on the occasion of National Army Day in Tehran, capital of Iran on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Iranian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images)

BEIRUT — The Iranian armed forces have unveiled what officials called an upgraded ballistic missile with claimed extended range of 1,200 km (750 miles), semi-official news agency Tasnim reported today.

Tasnim said that the missile, an extended range version of its Martyr Hajj Qassem, uses solid fuel and has a modified warhead that enables it to maneuver to “penetrate the air defense missile systems” and is equipped with “an advanced navigation system that allows it to hit targets precisely and counter electronic warfare.”

No more details about the ballistic missile were revealed, but the unveiling reportedly took place Sunday, the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Iran and the Houthi rebels it supports in Yemen with retaliation following a suspected Houthi ballistic missile attack on Israeli Ben Gurion airport.

Netanyahu said the Houthis had “acted under the orders and with the support of their patron, Iran,” and threatened to “do what needs to be done to deliver a proper warning to Iran that we cannot tolerate such acts.”

As for the Iranian missile, analyst Behnam Ben Taleblu said that Tehran’s “arsenal of short- to medium-range solid fuel systems are being increasingly upgraded to produce a more lethal, survivable, and battlefield ready projectile.”

Ben Taleblu, a senior follow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Breaking Defense that ⁠the emphasis on maneuverability of the new ballistic missile, “which can’t reach Israel from Iranian territory, but can reach all U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf region, represents attempts to bypass or limit the effectiveness of existing American and allied missile defense systems which have a strong track record against Iranian projectiles.” (Israel sits about 1,000 km from the western-most portions of Iran, stretching the Islamic Republic’s range.)

That said, another analyst called for a healthy amount of skepticism when it comes to Iran’s announcements about its defense prowess. The announcement “needs to be taken with a pinch of salt,” Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London, said. “They claim a lot.”

He said that it is “part of Iran’s deterrence posture arguing that any attack on Iran will be met with more escalatory retaliation of the like Israel hasn’t seen yet.”

Amid regional conflicts, Iran has reportedly been boosting its defense capabilities and it has unveiled its first indigenous drone carrier, dubbed Shahid (Martyr) Baqeri in February this year. Earlier, in January, Tehran confirmed it had completed the purchase of Russian Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets.