Iran showcases new weapons as it prepares for a rocky 2025
Iran’s army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been showcasing and testing new defensive and offensive weapons in large-scale military exercises for the past three months.
The country is preparing for another tumultuous year amid threats by the United States and Israel to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, critical energy infrastructure, and military sites. Iran’s army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been showcasing and testing new defensive and offensive weapons in large-scale military exercises for the past three months.
The country is preparing for another tumultuous year amid threats by the United States and Israel to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, critical energy infrastructure, and military sites.Secret missile cities
The IRGC unveiled three major underground military bases, with commanders saying they are prepared for a prolonged war.Inside what state television called a “missile megacity”, dozens of ballistic projectiles could be seen, some on mobile launchers for quick deployment.
These included:
Khorramshahr-4, a liquid-fuel rocket with a range of 2,000km (1,242 miles) and an upgraded warhead reportedly weighing up to two tonnes (4,400 pounds).
Jahad, a liquid-fuel rocket that can go up to 1,000km (621 miles) with a 650kg (1,400-pound) warhead.
L360, a solid-fuel rocket that can go 180km (111 miles) while carrying 150kg (330 pounds) of explosives.
Qadr, a two-stage rocket that can travel up to 2,000km and carry a warhead weighing up to 750kg (1,650 pounds).
Emad, a liquid-fuel missile with a range of about 1,800km (1,118 miles) and warheads up to 750kg.
The IRGC Navy also showed some of a secret underground naval base along Iran’s southern coast.
Inside it, hundreds of missile-carrying speedboats and antiship mines were shown, as well as a new cruise missile, an antiship projectile called the Qadr-380. The Qadr-380 can travel more than 1,000km, meaning Iran would be able to attack ships from deep inside its territory.
