Iran presents new intermediate-range ballistic missile

2 February, 2025 E'temad medium-range ballistic missile. Photo: Fars news The new E'temad ballistic missile was presented during Iranian President Massoud Paezeshkian's visit to the Iranian Ministry of Defense missile exhibition.

Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported on this. The new 16-meter-long missile has a strike radius of 1700 kilometers and is equipped with a "high-precision warhead." At the same time, Iran officially claims that its military power does not pose a threat to the countries of the region, as its defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.

The warhead of the E'temad medium-range ballistic missile.

Photo: Tasnim

In September 2024, during the military parade dedicated to the beginning of the "Holy Defense" week, Iran demonstrated a new Jihad ballistic missile and a new Shahed-136B drone. Tasnim, which is associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claims that the new Jihad ballistic missile is liquid-fueled. At the same time, Al-Monitor, citing the Iranian state news agency IRNA, reports that it is a solid-fuel missile.

A Jihad ballistic missile on parade in Tehran.

Photo: Al-Monitor

It is also stated that the new missile has a high-explosive detachable warhead and a range of 1000 km. The missiles have been put into service with the IRGC Aerospace Forces. The new version of the Shahed-136 UAV, the Shahed-136B, is said to have a range of up to 4000 km.

Judging by the photos of the Shahed-136B, the UAV has not only a new body but also a completely different aerodynamic scheme. Instead of the flying wing scheme, a classical aerodynamic scheme was chosen. This indicates that the Shahed-136B is rather a new UAV that uses the experience gained during the creation and improvement of the Shahed-136 rather than modernizing it.

At the end of October 2024, Israel hit a ballistic missile production complex in Iran.

The result of an airstrike on an Iranian ballistic missile production facility.

Photo: Planet Labs

The facility is located on the territory of Parchin and Khodzhri and is strategically important for Iran's missile program.

The complex is used in the development and production of Iranian ballistic missiles, and according to Israeli sources, the strike will negatively affect the combat readiness of Iran's missile forces and its overall plans to supply its own missiles to Russia.