Iran Claims Supersonic Cruise Missile Undergoing Tests

Facts

• Iran has achieved the technological capability to build supersonic cruise missiles, its semi-official Tasnim news agency claimed on Wednesday amid rising tensions with the US over military deployments in the Persian Gulf.¹
• The homegrown cruise missiles are reportedly being tested and "will mark the beginning of a new chapter" in Iran's defense capabilities by significantly reducing the Iranian armed forces' response time in case of an attack.²
• Iran's cruise missiles previously used rocket-launching engines to fire the weapon and domestically developed turbojet engines for the second stage. The Navy's cruise missiles and supersonic cruise missile development now reportedly use ramjets — an air-propulsion system.³
• The development comes days after the US reportedly deployed more than 3K sailors aboard two warships to the Red Sea to bolster the US military presence in the region.⁴
• Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard recently announced that its navy fleet had received a range of new homegrown military hardware, including combat and reconnaissance drones as well as cruise missiles and ballistic missiles with a range of up to 1K km (600 miles).⁵
• In June, Iran unveiled "Fattah" — its first domestically manufactured hypersonic ballistic missile, which it claims can travel five times faster than the speed of sound.¹

Sources: ¹Middle East Eye, ²Al Jazeera, ³Tasnim News Agency, ⁴The Cradle, and ⁵The Media Line.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by JNS. The fact that the Iranian regime has claimed to have developed hypersonic ballistic and supersonic cruise missiles underscores its threat to the entire region. Tehran already has the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East, with which it threatens Israel and Arab countries of the Persian Gulf. Tehran's irresponsible actions have triggered a regional arms race with incalculable consequences.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Press TV. The development of the supersonic cruise missile is a significant technological milestone for Tehran and impressively demonstrates Iran's high-tech capabilities. Moreover, the recent US saber-rattling in the Persian Gulf once again underscores the need for Iran to make its armed forces self-sufficient and continuously develop its military defense capabilities. Iran has every right to defend its national security interests and sovereignty in a volatile region.
• Cynical narrative, as provided by Iran International. Just as there's no independent confirmation of Iran's hypersonic missile, there's no evidence of its latest claim to have added a supersonic missile to its arsenal. Iran has again made dubious, unverified, and exaggerated claims regarding its military capabilities.

Predictions