Iran has promised not to make nuclear weapons or other very dangerous weapons like Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) because of its religious beliefs. Instead, it focuses on having a lot of missiles as its main way to protect itself. The United States and its friends have tried many times to make Iran agree to not improve its missiles through agreements, but these attempts have not worked.

Iran used its new missile, called Kheibar Shekan, which means ‘Castle Buster’ or ‘Fortress Buster’, for medium-range attacks on what it says were terrorist sites in Syria on January 15 night. This was announced by Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who is in charge of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Four Kheibar Shekan missiles were launched from Khuzestan province in the southwest of Iran, said Hajizadeh while talking with IRGC Chief Hossein Salami the day after.

Introduced in 2022, the Kheibar Shekan are medium range  ballistic missiles weighing 4.5 tons and measuring 10.5 meters in length. It can travel up to 1,450 kilometers, which means it can hit any location in Israel, Iran’s main enemy in the region, as well as nearly all American military bases in the Middle East. The missile is equipped with a 500-kilogram explosive warhead that does not use nuclear material.

The missile uses solid fuel for its engine, which allows it to be prepared for launch much faster and needs less upkeep than missiles with liquid fuel engines. It also has a feature that lets it change direction when coming back into the Earth’s atmosphere,known as Maneuverable Reentry Vehicle (MaRV), making it harder for enemy defense systems to intercept and destroy it while it’s flying.

Iran has also introduced the fourth version of its Khorramshahr ballistic missile, called Khaibar, which can travel 2,000 km (1,243 miles) and carries a warhead weighing 1,500 kg (3,300 lbs), according to the official IRNA news agency.

Introduced in 2022, the Kheibar Shekan are medium range  ballistic missiles weighing 4.5 tons and measuring 10.5 meters in length. It can travel up to 1,450 kilometers, which means it can hit any location in Israel, Iran’s main enemy in the region, as well as nearly all American military bases in the Middle East

The US has accused a person from China of breaking US sanctions by supplying Iran with materials needed to make ballistic missiles, say federal prosecutors in Manhattan.

Xianfjiang Qiao is employed by Sinotech Dalian Carbon and Graphite Manufacturing Corporation, a company in China. In 2014, the US Treasury Department added this company to a sanctions list because it assisted Iran in purchasing components to make ballistic missiles.

Iran’s Missile Named for Historic Jewish Conflict ?

Iran has given its missile the name “Kheibar Shekan”, which seems to refer to an old battle that involved Jews at the beginning of Islamic history. The chant “Khaybar, Khaybar ya yahud” is often used in the area in songs that are against Jewish people, supporting their mass killing.

During the recent fighting between Israel and Hamas, protests against Jewish people broke out in Europe and the US, with people chanting similar phrases, as noted by the American Jewish Committee.

-The writer is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach out to him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com